Uzbekistan Airports JSC has signed a memorandum of understanding with Allied Biofuels FE LLC for SAF and e-SAF supply starting 2030, naming the country’s airport operator as a prospective buyer for the SAF and e-SAF output of a $6.1 billion biorefinery sized for 160,400 tonnes of SAF and 257,000 tonnes of e-SAF a year.
The MOU advances the demand-side conversation around a project SAFpath has tracked since its capex and feedstock specs were first disclosed. An MOU is non-binding — firm offtake would still require a long-form sale-and-purchase agreement with volume, price, and term — but the airport operator formally signaling supply intent puts a domestic buyer alongside any export-bound demand from EU and UK mandates as those regimes step up at 2030.
At full capacity the facility would produce 160,400 tonnes of SAF, 257,000 tonnes of e-SAF, and 5,040 tonnes of green diesel a year. The e-SAF train runs on green hydrogen made on-site, sourced from 2.4 GW of electrolysers and a 4.45 GW renewable energy system, with 1,600 MWh of battery energy storage. Plug Power has been selected as the preferred electrolyser technology provider.
“Uzbekistan Airports is pleased to take this important step with Allied Biofuels as we continue to support the modernisation of Uzbekistan’s aviation sector.” — J.O. Umarkhodjaev, Chairman of the Board, Uzbekistan Airports JSC
The MOU was signed in Tashkent on May 8, 2026. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and the Investment Promotion Agency provided the regulatory backing on the airport-operator side. Affinity Capital Group is acting as financial advisor on the project. Allied Biofuels FE LLC is led by Alfred Benedict, General Director.
The 2030 supply target lines up with the first scheduled step-up under ReFuelEU (6% SAF, 1.2% e-SAF sub-mandate) and the UK SAF Mandate (10% SAF, 0.5% PtL sub-target) — the first year ReFuelEU requires e-SAF specifically, and the year the UK PtL sub-target steps up to 0.5%. What’s worth watching is the e-SAF stream: 257,000 tonnes a year sits in the upper tier of pre-FID Power-to-Liquid projects, alongside announced capacity from HIF Global, Infinium, and Norsk e-Fuel. The 4.45 GW of generation and 2.4 GW of electrolysers earmarked on-site, if built, would be one of the largest dedicated PtL renewables footprints in Central Asia.
