ZR2 Group invest $2 Billion in the world’s first 345 KTA Negative Net Zero SAF Plant in Maharashtra, India
Abu Dhabi, UAE – 01st February 2025
ZR2 Group is a UAE-based renewable energy leader and has announced the development of a 345 KTA Negative Net Zero Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) plant in Maharashtra, India spread over 2,000 acres that will remove 1.1 MMT of CO2 from the air every year.
In our Circular World, ZR2 Group is transforming the farm-to-fuel economy by turning bioenergy into high-quality food protein and the cleanest biofuels all while it empowers the farmers and creates wealth for them. The plant will be using the absolute best and latest cutting-edge technologies and no fossil-based sources while at the same time it’ll remove waste and reduce emissions.
The plant will produce 345 KTA of SAF to decarbonise the sky and 65 KTA of protein to fight protein deficiency in India while consuming 4,000 MT of waste daily, use 405 KTA of CO2 and 70 KTA of Green Hydrogen yearly to produce the highest quality SAF and finest Scope 3 credit certificates.
The world is in need for a significant energy transition and for us the millions of farmers in Rural India is the opportunity and the solution. ZR2 Group with this plant promises a clear path to prosperity for millions of agricultural families and their children while decarbonising the skies.
The plant is completely powered with renewable energy sources
One of the key highlights of the project to achieve Negative Net Zero is because no fossil-based sources have been used to power the plant. Instead, the whole plant has been designed from ground-up to use only renewable energy sources in situ in a self-contained energy grid made up of a 1.2 GW Solar Plant directly integrated with a 4 GW Battery Storage to ensure around the clock operations. Further, to ensure full energy redundancy and uninterrupted supply a 150 MW Waste-to-Energy Cogeneration (W2E) plant has been added to the energy grid. The W2E Cogen Plant will be using 3,950 MT of municipality and agricultural waste daily to power the plant and this will further play a pivotal role in keeping communities and streets clean from waste.
Use of Power-To-Liquid and Green Hydrogen intelligently
Furthermore, next step to achieve Negative Net Zero is due to collection and upscaling of 405 KTA of CO2 to SAF that will be collected directly from the Alcohol fermentation process that is further mixed with 70 KTA of Green Hydrogen. This will be one of the largest Power-to-Liquid CO2 Plants in the world co-located with the integrated Hydrogen Plant and the Renewable Energy Power source in situ with no electricity losses and fully optimised with heat integration.
100% drop-in fuel and railway siding to control costs and reduce pollution
Our SAF does not require the development of new engines or an expanded Green Hydrogen or SAF transportation and storage infrastructure. It is a 100% drop-in replacement fuel and is fully approved by ASTM International (approving global body for aviation fuel) and can be used today in existing aircraft and infrastructure without any further modifications. Each plant will have a full-scale railway siding that will move nearly 10,000 MT of feedstock and finished products daily that will also contribute to lower the carbon intensity of the fuel.
This will be a large scale fully integrated bioenergy project with direct connect to farmers and for the first time in the world, the SAF will have a negative CO2 life cycle (negative gCO2e/MJ) compared with conventional jet fuel from fossil-based sources. In short, this SAF will consume more CO2 than will be emitted during the life cycle of the SAF. This plant is expected to remove 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 annually, a testament to ZR2 Group’s commitment to a green and sustainable environment. This project is not just an energy initiative - it’s a transformative vision to decarbonize the global aviation sector and every aircraft in the world touching down in Maharashtra will also have the potential to decarbonize its own home market by refuelling up to 100% of it’s fuel capacity since it’s a fully compatible drop-in fuel.
Given the scale of each plant, the induced economic activity will support a significant number of jobs and since the project is fully backward integrated with the farmer community, enormous wealth creation for farmers will take place.
A Vision for a Sustainable Future
At ZR2 Group, we’re building a future where clean energy, thriving families and sustainability go hand in hand with farmers. Our commitment to United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, ESG and Scope 3 emission credits are integrated into every part of our value chain starting in rural India ending in the skies. Our partnerships go beyond products and we’re creating real, measurable impact decarbonizing the world and every step of our process supports Scope 3 emission reductions and strengthens our commitment to sustainability.
Our integrated approach - spanning SAF, CO2, green hydrogen, ethanol, solar energy, W2E Cogen and battery storage - represents a bold vision for a sustainable future. As the lowest carbon-intensive industry player, ZR2 Group is not only driving decarbonization but also focusing on reaching farmers at the grass root level and working towards their betterment and wealth creation. By sourcing agricultural feedstocks directly from farmers, the group ensures economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods for rural communities.
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