Uniper SE has agreed to purchase 40,000 metric tons of electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) annually from Arcadia eFuels' Project Endor in Vordingborg, Denmark — a volume the partners call one of the largest eSAF offtake agreements announced to date.

The contracted quantity equals the annual fuel needs of roughly 1,000 Boeing 787-9 flights between Düsseldorf and Abu Dhabi. Current planning targets supply from the early 2030s onward. Project Endor has yet to reach a final investment decision.

What is Project Endor?

Arcadia eFuels is developing the Vordingborg facility to produce up to 100 million liters, or 80,000 metric tons, of eSAF per year using captured CO2, purified seawater and renewable electricity. The plant will draw 360 MW of power and consume approximately 260,000 tons of CO2 annually, anchoring both the local grid and an emerging CO2 utilization market.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency issued the project's environmental permit in 2024. On May 26, 2025, Arcadia secured approval to operate a full-scale eSAF production line covering water purification, electrolysis, Fischer-Tropsch reactors and final refining.

Who is building the infrastructure?

Arcadia said on October 6, 2025, that it had awarded Hitachi Energy a contract covering grid connection, battery energy storage, electrical systems engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning. Arcadia added on March 25, 2026, that it had signed an EU Innovation Fund grant agreement with the European Commission.

The Hitachi contract sizes the electrical backbone for a 360 MW load; the Innovation Fund award supplies public co-financing as Arcadia pushes toward FID.

Where does the eSAF sit under EU rules?

Arcadia's fuel qualifies as Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin-compliant and aligns with the EU ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation adopted in 2023. Suppliers at larger EU airports must lift SAF content to at least 2% from 2025, 6% from 2030 and 70% from 2050. Biofuels, recycled carbon fuels and synthetic fuels all count toward the mandate.

According to Arcadia, the eSAF delivers up to 98% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions versus conventional jet, aligning with the RFNBO pathway under the regulation.

Why does Uniper want it?

"For Uniper, the agreement represents an early strategic position in a market expected to grow rapidly over the coming decades," the joint statement said. "Sustainable aviation fuels are widely regarded as one of the few scalable pathways to reducing emissions from long-haul aviation."

Düsseldorf-based Uniper joins a small group of European utilities reserving Fischer-Tropsch-derived eSAF ahead of the 2030 ReFuelEU step-up.

What are the executives saying?

"Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, and liquid fuels will remain essential for decades," Uniper chief executive Michael Lewis said.

Arcadia chief executive Amy Hebert said: "Securing long-term offtake from a sophisticated energy partner like Uniper validates our solution, de-risks our capital strategy and accelerates our path to production at scale."

What does the agreement change commercially?

For Uniper, the contract reserves a supply slot in a market still dominated by bio-based SAF and gives the utility a foothold in a new European growth category of low-carbon energy products. For Arcadia, the Uniper commitment adds a creditworthy European counterparty ahead of FID, complementing the Innovation Fund grant and the Hitachi electrical scope.

Whether the offtake converts from announced volumes into binding long-term contracts, and whether Project Endor reaches FID on Arcadia's stated timeline, will determine when — and at what price — its first eSAF reaches fuel farms serving EU carriers under the ReFuelEU ramp.