Shell XTL Technology Selected for France KerEAUzen
Shell Catalysts & Technologies announced on June 4, 2026 that it had signed a technology licence agreement with ENGIE for the France KerEAUzen synthetic aviation fuel project in Le Havre, France.
The project is designed to produce e-SAF using renewable hydrogen and captured biogenic carbon dioxide through a power-to-liquids process.
Under the agreement, ENGIE will use Shell’s XTL technology platform to convert those inputs into synthetic hydrocarbons suitable for aviation fuel production.
The selection represents an important technology decision for France KerEAUzen as the project develops a large-scale synthetic fuel production chain in one of France’s major industrial and logistics regions.
Three Processes Form the Conversion Chain
The Shell XTL configuration selected for the project combines several chemical conversion stages.
First, the Reverse Water-Gas Shift process reacts captured carbon dioxide with renewable hydrogen to produce synthesis gas, a mixture primarily containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
The synthesis gas then passes through a Fischer–Tropsch process, where the molecules are converted into longer-chain synthetic hydrocarbons.
A final wax hydroconversion stage upgrades those hydrocarbons into liquid fuel suitable for aviation applications.
By integrating these stages within a single licensed technology package, the project aims to convert renewable electricity and recycled carbon into a drop-in liquid fuel compatible with existing aviation systems.
Power-to-Liquids Moves Closer to Industrial Deployment
France KerEAUzen is located in Le Havre, where existing industrial infrastructure and fuel logistics provide access to major transport networks and European aviation markets.
The project was selected under France’s ADEME Carb Aero initiative, which supports the development of domestic sustainable aviation fuel production.
For e-SAF developers, the challenge is not only producing renewable hydrogen but integrating hydrogen production, carbon capture, synthesis and fuel upgrading into a reliable industrial process.
The Shell–ENGIE agreement addresses that integration by applying technology derived from established gas-to-liquids experience to a renewable power-to-liquids configuration.
The project therefore illustrates how technologies originally developed for conventional synthetic fuels are increasingly being adapted to renewable hydrogen and recycled carbon.
If brought to commercial operation, such systems could become an important pathway for meeting future European synthetic aviation fuel requirements.
Sources
Shell Catalysts & Technologies — Shell XTL Process Licensed to ENGIE for France KerEAUzen E-SAF Project, June 4, 2026
France KerEAUzen — Project Information
ADEME — Carb Aero Initiative