Can Uniper's 40,000-Tonne eSAF Deal Unlock Denmark's Endor?

Uniper has agreed to buy 40,000 metric tons of eSAF a year for more than a decade from Arcadia eFuels' Project Endor in Vordingborg, Denmark. The deal is legally binding. It gives Arcadia the anchor buyer it needed before pursuing a final investment decision (FID), targeted for early 2027.

Uniper is a German state-owned energy company based in Düsseldorf. Arcadia eFuels is an eFuels developer founded in 2021 and headquartered in Austin, Texas. The two companies announced the agreement on September 23, 2026.

Offtake is the step that turns an approved project into a financeable one. Endor already holds completed engineering, an environmental permit, and an EU grant.

What Did Uniper and Arcadia eFuels Agree To?

Uniper committed to take 40,000 metric tons of eSAF annually for more than 10 years, according to the companies' September 2026 announcement. They describe it as one of the largest announced eSAF offtake agreements to date.

The contract is legally binding. Deliveries depend on agreed conditions precedent and on Endor starting commercial operations, Uniper said.

That yearly volume equals the fuel for about 1,000 Boeing 787-9 flights between Düsseldorf and Abu Dhabi. Arcadia's eSAF can achieve up to 98% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than conventional jet fuel, the companies said.

For Uniper, the deal secures RFNBO-compliant fuel, the EU category for renewable fuels of non-biological origin.

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Why Does This Offtake Matter for Endor's FID?

The Uniper contract fills the gap Arcadia identified earlier this year. In May 2026, FehmarnBusiness reported that Arcadia was negotiating with a buyer for a large share of Endor's output.

Arcadia said it would begin the FID process once that contract was in place. It targeted the decision for the first quarter of 2027, followed by financial close.

Lenders and investors typically want proof of long-term demand before funding construction. A 40,000-tonne yearly commitment from a major European utility supplies that proof, although FID and financing remain separate steps.

Uniper joins earlier commercial interest in Arcadia's pipeline. In 2025, Arcadia signed a memorandum of understanding with Lyon-based SAF aggregator ATOBA Energy. It covers up to 150,000 tonnes of eSAF per Arcadia project over 10 years.

Public support is also secured. Arcadia signed an EU Innovation Fund grant agreement in March 2026 covering capital and operating costs. The grant is designed to strengthen Endor's financial framework at FID.

Date	Project Endor Milestone
May 2024	FEED completed with Technip Energies and Hitachi Energy
May 2025	Danish EPA publishes environmental permit for full-scale eSAF production
October 2025	Hitachi Energy signs electrical infrastructure agreement
March 2026	EU Innovation Fund grant agreement signed
September 2026	Binding Uniper offtake for 40,000 tonnes of eSAF per year
Q1 2027 (target)	Final investment decision, followed by financial close
Early 2030s (planned)	First eSAF deliveries to Uniper

The timing helps twice over. FehmarnBusiness noted that EU grant funds are released once overall financing is in place, so a bankable buyer supports both tracks.

>> RELATED: Germany's Uniper Signs Offtake Deal for Synthetic Green Jet Fuels

How Will Project Endor Turn Power Into Jet Fuel?

Project Endor will run 240 MW of on-site electrolysis to make green hydrogen, according to Hitachi Energy's October 2025 agreement with Arcadia. The plant is sized for about 80,000 tonnes of eFuels a year.

That hydrogen is combined with captured carbon dioxide to build liquid hydrocarbons. This power-to-liquid eSAF pathway uses no crop-based feedstocks.

Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency published the project's environmental permit in May 2025. It covers the full production chain, from water purification and electrolysis to Fischer-Tropsch reactors and final refining.

Engineering support comes from established industrial names. Technip Energies completed FEED with Arcadia in May 2024. Hitachi Energy will deliver the grid connection, battery energy storage, and complete electrical system.

Process technology comes from Topsoe and Sasol, covering syngas production, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, and hydrocracking. FEED partners also included Plug Power for electrolyzers, a company with a growing global electrolyzer footprint.

At full output, Endor would avoid an estimated 260,000 tons of CO2 a year, Hitachi Energy said in 2025. Arcadia's permit announcement put expected annual production above 100 million liters, enough to cover the fuel demand of Denmark's domestic flights.

Why Are Buyers Signing Now for Fuel Arriving in the 2030s?

EU law already sets the demand curve. ReFuelEU Aviation requires fuel supplied at EU airports to include 1.2% synthetic fuel from 2030, rising to 5% by 2035.

Those ReFuelEU eSAF sub-targets turn synthetic fuel into a compliance product for fuel suppliers. Overall SAF minimums climb in parallel.

Year	Minimum SAF Share	Minimum Synthetic Fuel Share
2025	2%	None
2030	6%	1.2%
2035	20%	5%
2050	70%	35%

Long build times explain the early contracts. Endor's first deliveries are planned for the early 2030s, just as the 1.2% synthetic fuel requirement takes effect.

What Does the Deal Mean for North American eSAF?

Arcadia is a Texas-based developer whose flagship project is in Denmark. Its site list also includes Portland/Corpus Christi, Texas, and Teesside in the United Kingdom.

North America is building its own eSAF base in parallel. Twelve's AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington opened in June 2026 as the first U.S. commercial-scale plant producing E-Jet SAF.

Infinium has already reached FID on a large-scale Texas eSAF plant, according to Transport & Environment. The company is also extending its commercial fuel platform to methane feedstocks.

Other North American efforts range from CO2-to-jet fuel producers like AIRCO to HIF Global's U.S. eSAF engineering work. Power-to-liquid routes like these use captured carbon dioxide as a fuel feedstock.

Long-term offtake remains a key step toward eSAF financing on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Road From Signature to Steel

Uniper's commitment moves Endor into the commercial stage, where buyers, mandates, and financing must align. Arcadia now holds completed engineering, a permit, an EU grant, and a binding anchor buyer.

The next milestone to watch is FID, targeted for early 2027. First eSAF deliveries to Uniper are planned for the early 2030s.

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