Zurich Airport Ltd. has signed a long-term offtake agreement for renewable diesel with Synhelion, a Swiss cleantech company producing solar fuels.
From 2027, Zurich Airport Ltd. will purchase 30’000 liters of solar diesel from Synhelion every year. In a first step, this renewable diesel will be used to power the passenger buses on the airport premises. Later, special vehicles without electric drives will be powered by solar diesel.
The five-year contract builds on the existing partnership between the two companies, which has been in place since 2020.
By signing the offtake agreement, Zurich Airport Ltd. and Synhelion are sending a clear signal for more environmentally sustainable airport operations.
The partnership launched in 2020 has now led to the offtake agreement. Zurich Airport Ltd. will therefore use solar diesel in its own operations from 2027. Synhelion will produce the renewable fuels at its first commercial plant, RISE, in Spain. The plant uses solar energy to produce sustainable fuels that are fully compatible with the existing global fuel infrastructure and conventional internal combustion engines and aircraft engines.
Synhelion’s solar fuels cut net CO2 emissions by up to 99% compared to fossil fuels.
A strong signal for the energy transition
With the decision to purchase solar fuel for use on the airport premises, Zurich Airport Ltd. is underlining its commitment to sustainability.
“It is our goal to achieve net zero corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – without offsetting,” explains Emanuel Fleuti, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Zurich Airport Ltd.
“Synhelion’s fuel is an important piece of the puzzle. While the majority of our vehicle fleet is being converted to electric operation, special vehicles cannot be equipped with an electric drive. For these vehicles and for the phase of conversion to electric drive, we have found a suitable solution in Synhelion’s product. In a first step, we are planning to use Synhelion’s solar diesel in the passenger buses without electric drive.”
Zurich Airport Ltd. is thus taking a pioneering role in backing a breakthrough technology and making a valuable contribution to establishing solar fuels on the market.
On the way to scaling solar fuels
“The demand for innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions will continue to rise – Synhelion and Zurich Airport Ltd. are working together on scaling solar fuels with this offtake agreement and thus making an active contribution to the energy transition,” explains Philipp Furler, CEO and Co-Founder of Synhelion.
The signing of the contract is a significant step for solar fuel technology and the commercial introduction of renewable fuels. In addition to Zurich Airport, other companies, including Pilatus Aircraft and Lake Lucerne Navigation Company, have already recently signed offtake agreements with Synhelion.
About Synhelion
Synhelion produces sustainable solar fuels. The cleantech scale-up company is on a mission to contribute to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with renewable solar fuels. Founded in 2016 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich, Synhelion is now commercializing the Sun-to-Liquid technology. In June 2024, the company inaugurated DAWN, the world’s first industrial plant for the production of solar fuel in Jülich, Germany. RISE, Synhelion’s first commercial production plant, will be located in Spain and is scheduled to produce fuels from 2027. On its road to defossilize transportation, Synhelion is supported by a network of international partners such as Eni, Cemex, Lufthansa Group, Swiss International Air Lines, SMS group, Wood, AMAG Group, Zurich Airport, and Pilatus Aircraft.
Featured image credited to Zurich Airport Ltd.
