Energis8 Sets Out a Billion-Litre SAF Plan
Brazilian energy company Energis8 is planning a sustainable aviation fuel facility capable of producing approximately one billion litres of SAF per year, according to chief executive Marcos Guerra.
The proposed plant would be located in Paulínia, São Paulo state, one of Brazil’s most established refining and fuel-logistics centres.
Energis8 estimates the project will require approximately $1.3 billion in capital expenditure and is targeting production from 2031.
The scale of the proposal reflects growing interest in using Brazil’s large ethanol industry as a foundation for commercial sustainable aviation fuel production.
Ethanol Becomes the Core Feedstock
The project is expected to use approximately 1.7 billion litres of ethanol annually to produce SAF through an alcohol-to-jet pathway.
Brazil is already one of the world’s largest ethanol producers, with an established supply chain based on sugarcane and an expanding contribution from corn-based ethanol.
That existing production base could provide SAF developers with access to feedstock, storage, transport infrastructure and experienced fuel-market participants.
Energis8 plans to operate the facility using a tolling model, processing ethanol supplied by customers and charging a conversion fee rather than necessarily purchasing all of the feedstock itself.
Brazil Positions for a Larger Aviation Fuel Market
Paulínia’s location gives the project access to major fuel infrastructure and places it relatively close to important aviation markets including São Paulo’s Guarulhos and Viracopos airports.
For airlines, SAF remains significantly more expensive than conventional jet fuel in many markets, making production scale, feedstock costs and long-term purchase agreements central to project economics.
Energis8 plans to finance approximately 40 percent of the project with equity and the remaining 60 percent through debt.
If completed as planned, the facility would represent a significant expansion of Brazil’s role in the international sustainable aviation fuel market and demonstrate how the country’s existing ethanol industry could support new aviation-fuel pathways.
Sources
Reuters — Brazil’s Energis8 Eyes Annual SAF Output of 1 Billion Liters, CEO Says, July 14, 2026