Latvian firm NorSAF and UK tech company to cooperate on bioethanol from forestry residues

Liepāja-based company “NorSAF” has agreed to cooperate with British technology firm “Nova Pangaea Technologies” to build a local supply chain for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using wood residues available in Latvia.

Two routes to cleaner fuel

Most SAF today is produced using HEFA technology, based on used cooking oils and animal fats, but Europe imports roughly 85% of these feedstocks, with China alone supplying 61%, according to 2025 IATA data. An alternative is ATJ (Alcohol-to-Jet) technology, which converts bioethanol and CO2 into aviation fuel. Nova Pangaea's REFNOVA® technology turns waste biomass — including wood and agricultural residues widely available in Latvia — into bioethanol and a valuable byproduct, biochar, which improves soil quality and sequesters carbon, making the whole process carbon-negative.

A Latvian connection

Nova Pangaea's technology originates from research carried out nearly a decade ago at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry in Riga, later developed further in the UK. The new partnership would bring the technology back to its research roots while supplying feedstock for NorSAF's planned SAF plant at the Port of Liepāja, where development has been underway since 2024 using KBR's PureSAF® technology. Production is expected to begin in 2031. NorSAF has also operated a liquid petroleum and chemical storage terminal in the Liepāja Special Economic Zone since 2017.

Rising EU targets

Under the EU's ReFuelEU regulation, the share of SAF at EU airports must rise from 2% in 2025 to 6% in 2030 and 25% in 2035. NorSAF founder Jānis Kisiels says excessive dependence on imported feedstocks leaves the aviation sector vulnerable, making it essential to build local production capacity. The project's partner is “Avia Solutions Group,” the world's largest ACMI service provider.