【2026 Industry Updates】Overview of the latest progress in China’s SAF projects in 2026 — Lanze Energy
Thread Content
Lanze Energy is a technology-driven enterprise focused on the research, development, and production of green fuels such as green methanol and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with its technical expertise drawn from research teams at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The company has focused on two main technical approaches in the SAF sector: one is the pilot-scale project for producing aviation kerosene via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis in a single step, located in the Chongqing Changshou Chemical Industry Park ； The second is the demonstration project for producing 100,000 tons per year of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass, which is planned to be built in Luzhou, Sichuan.
Lanze Energy’s pilot project for producing aviation kerosene on a thousand-ton scale through one-step Fischer-Tropsch synthesis will continue to advance in 2025. This project employs an internationally pioneering one-step synthesis technology for producing aviation kerosene, aiming to reduce the existing 3-4 step production process to just 1 step, and it features high conversion rates, high selectivity, and high stability.
On January 4, 2026, the Luzhou Ecology and Environment Bureau issued a decision regarding the approval of the environmental impact assessment report for the “Luzhou Lanze 100,000 tons/year biomass-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) demonstration project”. The project will use materials such as distillers’ grains, bamboo powder, and wood chips as raw materials, and employ processes including gasification, purification, FTO synthesis, and oil processing to produce sustainable aviation fuel, while generating by-products such as naphtha, sulfur, and composite carbon sources for water treatment. The production facilities mainly include an air separation unit, a biomass baking and grinding unit, a gasification unit, a purification unit, and an SAF unit (including Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and oil processing). The main product is aviation kerosene (SAF), with a designed production capacity of 100,000 tons per year. The project will utilize the FTO-based jet fuel distillate technology independently developed by Lanze Energy. Previously, a pilot plant of this technology with a capacity of thousands of tons passed a 72-hour on-site evaluation conducted by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and the feasibility and stability of this technology have laid a solid foundation for the implementation of this industrial demonstration project.
On April 16, 2026, a delegation from Shanghai Lanze Energy Technology Co., Ltd. went to Hanshou, Hunan for an inspection. The inspection team visited Hunan Chenxing Bioenergy Co., Ltd., Hunan Longling Straw Comprehensive Utilization Development Co., Ltd., and Hunan Deren Ruiyi Technology Development Co., Ltd., which are located in the Hanshou High-Tech Zone, to gain a detailed understanding of the comprehensive utilization of crop straws. The inspection team conducted on-site inspections of the project site, power supply, roads, sewage treatment and other basic facilities, as well as the capabilities in terms of transportation and logistics support. The company’s general manager is full of confidence regarding future cooperation. Next, the company will accelerate the analysis of the findings from its inspections, and make every effort to advance the preliminary preparations for the Hanshou project aimed at producing 100,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) per year. The goal is to ensure that this project is implemented as soon as possible, thereby achieving mutual benefit and common development for both the government and the enterprise.