NorSAF and Nova Pangaea plan Latvian bioethanol plant for aviation fuel supply chain

Latvia’s NorSAF and UK clean-technology company Nova Pangaea Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an advanced ethanol production plant in Latvia.

The planned plant would use locally sourced wood waste to produce second-generation ethanol using Nova Pangaea’s REFNOVA technology. The ethanol would then be supplied to NorSAF’s planned sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, production facility in Latvia.

The agreement would add an upstream production stage to the project: instead of relying only on externally sourced feedstock, NorSAF is exploring a Latvian supply chain linking local biomass, ethanol production and aviation fuel.

The project is developing against tightening EU SAF requirements. Aviation fuel suppliers are required to increase the share of sustainable aviation fuel from 2% in 2025 to 6% in 2030 and 20% by 2035.

For now, however, the agreement is a development step rather than a final investment decision. The announcement does not disclose the planned cost of the ethanol plant, financing arrangements or a construction timetable.