LanzaTech is moving to lock in Europe’s first commercial alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel plant, selecting North Sea Port in Ghent, Belgium as the permanent site for a €500 million project aimed at reshaping aviation fuel production.

 

The facility will be built by LanzaTech Global, as part of the FLITE consortium (Fuel via Low carbon Integrated Technology from Ethanol), backed by EU Horizon 2020 funding. The plant will use the LanzaJet Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) process to convert ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel at industrial scale.

 

Once operational, the project is expected to produce 79,000 tonnes of SAF and 9,000 tonnes of renewable diesel annually, making it one of the most significant next-generation fuel developments in Europe’s push to decarbonize aviation.

 

A key milestone has already been reached: LanzaTech has confirmed it will imminently submit the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping notification to Belgian regulators, a step that materially de-risks the project as it advances toward a Financial Investment Decision (FID).

 

The economic footprint is also substantial. The project is expected to create around 50 permanent high-quality jobs and support an average of 300 full-time equivalent roles during its three-year construction phase, with local contractors and suppliers expected to benefit from tender opportunities.

 

North Sea Port leadership welcomed the decision.

 

“We are thrilled to welcome FLITE to North Sea Port,” said Cas König, CEO of North Sea Port. “The FLITE project is an excellent fit with our Impact 2030 plan and the broader sustainability ambitions of the City of Ghent and Province of Flanders. 

 

"Our mature industrial ecosystem and multimodal connectivity mean FLITE can hit the ground running, with existing utilities infrastructure, a skilled local workforce, and well-developed fuel logistics operations already in place. North Sea Port is the ideal home for a project of this ambition and scale, and we look forward to FLITE becoming a valued and long-term partner within our community.”

 

LanzaTech CEO Jennifer Holmgren said the location gives the project strong structural advantages and reduces development risk.

 

“We are delighted to have chosen North Sea Port, Ghent as the home for FLITE,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. 

 

“This is a world-class location that gives the project every advantage it needs to succeed. The site’s mature and diverse industrial ecosystem not only reduces development risk but also provides a strong foundation of partnership opportunities to complement and support the project, including proximity to the ArcelorMittal Steelanol ethanol plant located directly across the canal from the site. 

 

"We are committed to being a safe, responsible and sustainable neighbour as we build and operate the facility. With FEED substantially complete, site secured, feedstock supply LOIs in place and offtake frameworks established, the submission of our EIA scoping notification will mark a defining moment in the project’s development, and we look forward to engaging with investors who share our ambition to make FLITE a cornerstone of European sustainable aviation supply.”

 

The FLITE SAF is designed to meet major regulatory frameworks, including CORSIA, EU ReFuelEU Aviation, and the UK SAF Mandate, positioning it to access multiple compliance-driven markets.

 

North Sea Port, which spans a 60-kilometre cross-border corridor from the North Sea through the Netherlands into Belgium, described the project as a strong fit for its long-term industrial transition strategy and infrastructure base.