Europe's Low-Carbon Industry Confronts the FID Problem at Fluor's Energise the Future 2026

The technology exists. The ambition is there. But getting low-carbon projects across the finish line, from development to Final Investment Decision, remains the industry's most stubborn obstacle.

That challenge was front and center at Fluor's second annual Energise the Future event, held in May 2026 at the company's Amsterdam office. The invitation-only gathering drew more than 120 participants, including energy developers, policymakers, financiers, technology providers, and EPC partners, all focused on advancing carbon capture and utilization (CCU), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and hydrogen projects toward commercial viability.

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The scope of this year's event expanded beyond last year's hydrogen-focused agenda to include CCU and SAF, reflecting how the conversation in Europe's low-carbon sector has matured. The event wasn't about whether these technologies work. It was about what it actually takes to build them at scale and make them bankable.

The FID Problem Is Real

One of the more striking data points shared at the event: only about 10% of energy transition projects reach a positive Final Investment Decision. That figure underscores why collaboration across the value chain isn't a nice-to-have. It's a requirement.

Alejandro Escalona, Senior VP and Energy Solutions, Business Development & Strategy Business Group Lead at Fluor, summed it up plainly: "When policy, technology, market signals, and project delivery certainty are aligned and anchored in disciplined risk allocation, capital follows."

Speakers throughout the day reinforced the same point. Risk-sharing, long-term offtake agreements, and realistic timelines aren't bureaucratic boxes to check. They're the actual mechanisms that unlock financing.

A Startup Competition Puts CCU Innovation on Stage

A highlight of the event was a pitch competition featuring 17 startups vying for Fluor's FEL-Ω℠ service, an early-stage tool that helps developers get order-of-magnitude capital cost estimates before a site is even selected. Five finalists made the cut.

TNO showcased a process for converting captured carbon into syngas and then SAF. Fairbrics presented its approach to turning CO2 into synthetic fabrics. Yama Carbon pitched what it calls the first low-concentration carbon capture platform designed to make gas-power carbon capture economically viable. OXCCU, an Oxford University spinout, demonstrated a simplified catalytic process for turning waste carbon into fuels and chemicals.

The winner was Dioxycle, a French-American startup developing electrolysis technology to transform CO2 directly into ethylene, one of the world's most widely used industrial chemicals. Dioxycle will receive an in-kind FEL-Ω℠ engagement from Fluor, giving it a concrete path to understanding commercial-scale capital costs.

SAF Bankability Requires Policy and Partnership

LanzaTech's Jim Woodger, Managing Director of EMEA & Americas, walked through the company's waste-to-SAF pathway, which converts industrial waste gases into ethanol and then into SAF using alcohol-to-jet technology. Projects in Norway, the UK, and Belgium are already advancing, with feedstock agreements, engineering studies, and airline offtake discussions in progress. LanzaTech recently selected North Sea Port in Ghent as the site for what is expected to be Europe's first commercial-scale alcohol-to-jet SAF facility.

The panel was candid about where the bottlenecks are. Airlines support SAF in principle but have been cautious about long-term contracts at prices significantly above conventional jet fuel.

Sunil Vyas, Technical Director, Business Incubation & CCUS Subject Matter Expert at Fluor, put it directly: "There's going to be a demand for SAF; people are going to demand to decarbonize the airline industry. But policy also needs to push in that direction and stimulate the market."

CO2 Value Europe and Arcadia eFuels also contributed to the day's discussions, with voices across the ecosystem echoing the same message: the technology phase is largely behind us. Execution is the challenge now.

Curt Graham, Senior VP, Office of Technology at Fluor, closed the day on a note of measured optimism: "The little wins that we see today may not meet our expectations for instantaneous change, but in the long run, these small changes can have massive impacts."

About Fluor

Fluor Corporation is a global engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, and maintenance company with decades of experience across complex energy and industrial projects. Its Energise the Future initiative brings together key players in Europe and the UK to accelerate progress on climate and sustainability goals through collaboration across the low-carbon project ecosystem.