15th of April 2026, Oslo (Norway)
What if the fuel that powers aviation’s energy transition could also strengthen Europe’s energy resilience? One year after Boeing joined Norsk e-Fuel as a key project development collaborator, the companies are now expanding their collaboration with a new joint industrial initiative. The focus goes beyond fuel performance, as it explores how sustainable fuels can contribute to a more resilient, secure, and independent energy system in Norway, the broader Nordics region, and across Europe.
From emissions reduction to strategic asset
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are a well-known energy transition solution for their climate benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But they also offer something equally important: the ability to produce fuel from locally available materials. This allows Europe to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels while building a stable, domestic and sustainable energy supply for hard to abate sectors like aviation. In the Nordics, abundant availability of fossil-free electricity, water, and captured CO₂, allow for the production of a type of SAF called e-Fuel.
Building on the strategic partnership launched in 2025, Norsk e-Fuel and Boeing are starting a joint program to test how e-Fuels perform in real-world operations. Through significant and targeted investment, the collaboration will generate practical data on performance, operational benefits, and supply requirements helping inform aviation.
“This initiative goes beyond technology development,” said Lars Bjørn Larsen, CCO at Norsk e-Fuel. “Together with Boeing we are contributing to a broader European objective: strengthening energy security, resilience and independence. Expanding SAF production in the Nordic region can help reduce Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels while building a robust and sustainable e-Fuel value chain for the future of aviation based on local feedstock and distributed production.”
As part of the Norwegian Defence Industrial Cooperation Framework, the initiative includes a focus on defence, where secure energy supply is critical. At the same time, it is built on a dual-use approach: Insights from defence applications, ranging from fuel performance to logistics and infrastructure, will help accelerate adoption of e-Fuels in commercial aviation. The objective is to ensure early demand in one sector supports scale-up for the entire industry.
Building a stronger European aviation fuel value chain
Alongside testing, the initiative will further develop the synthetic fuel value chain that can serve both commercial and defence needs. By aligning production, supply structures and standards, the collaboration aims to strengthen the business case for e-Fuels and support the development of new production facilities across Europe. This includes coordinating Norsk e-Fuel’s project portfolio with commercial aviation markets while evaluating the fuel’s compatibility with defence security standards. The project reflects Boeing’s commitment to Norway industrial cooperation, innovation, partnerships, and supporting resilient capabilities in Norway.
“Scaling SAF, and particularly e-SAF, is important for the sustainable and resilient growth of both commercial and defence aerospace – this is only possible by reducing the cost of SAF through stable policy and incentives that de-risk investments for early developers,” said Steve Gillard, Regional Sustainability Director at Boeing. “Through our continued collaboration with Norsk e-Fuel, Boeing strengthens its commitment to exploring the potential of e-fuels and ensuring a secure energy supply for the whole of society including defence while also firmly supporting our airline customers and their decarbonization ambitions.”
"This is an important measure supporting the defence sector’s sustainability goals. Increased production of SAF in Norway and the Nordic region strengthens security of supply. To achieve significant emissions reductions across the sector without impacting operational capability, improved access and use of SAF is the most effective single measure," added Gro Jære, Director General of the Norwegian Defence Material Agency.
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