Colombia’s Ecopetrol and Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have signed an agreement to develop feasibility studies and engineering work for a pilot Power to Liquid (PtL) synthetic fuel facility in Cartagena.
The initiative focuses on producing e SAF, a synthetic aviation fuel made using renewable electricity, green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. Over the next 24 months, technical studies will assess the potential development of the facility and its integration with Ecopetrol’s existing infrastructure at the Cartagena Refinery.
The project represents a shift among traditional energy companies toward low carbon fuels that maintain compatibility with existing fuel distribution systems while reducing dependence on fossil based feedstocks.
The planned pilot facility could leverage Ecopetrol’s Coral Project, a green hydrogen initiative under development at the Cartagena Refinery with a potential production capacity of up to 800 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
Green hydrogen produced through electrolysis would serve as a key input for synthetic fuel production. In a Power to Liquid process, renewable electricity is used to generate hydrogen, which is then combined with carbon dioxide to produce synthetic hydrocarbons that can be refined into fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel.
Unlike biofuel based SAF pathways, which rely on biological feedstocks, e SAF is designed around renewable power and carbon recycling. This approach has attracted interest because of its potential to scale without competing directly with agricultural land use.
However, the commercial viability of e SAF remains dependent on several factors, including the cost of renewable electricity, availability of low carbon hydrogen and access to affordable sources of captured carbon dioxide.
The aviation industry faces a significant emissions challenge because direct electrification is difficult for long distance aircraft due to battery energy density limitations.
SAF is therefore expected to play a central role in aviation transition strategies. The International Energy Agency has identified sustainable fuels as a critical component of reducing aviation emissions, particularly for routes where battery and hydrogen aircraft technologies are unlikely to provide near term solutions.
The European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, which begins increasing SAF requirements from 2025, is also creating demand for alternative aviation fuel supply chains. These policies are encouraging airlines, fuel producers and technology providers to secure future SAF production capacity.
For emerging markets, projects such as Ecopetrol’s Cartagena initiative could provide an opportunity to develop export oriented clean fuel industries while using existing industrial assets.
Traditional energy companies entering synthetic fuels markets face the challenge of developing entirely new production systems while managing technology risks. Integrating Power to Liquid facilities into existing industrial locations can reduce some infrastructure requirements, particularly around fuel handling, storage and logistics.
Ecopetrol’s experience in conventional fuel and biofuel production provides operational knowledge that could support the transition toward synthetic fuels. However, moving from fossil based refining to renewable fuel production requires new expertise in electrolyzers, carbon management and renewable energy integration.
The partnership with GIZ is intended to address some of these technical challenges by bringing international experience in Power to X technologies. Such cooperation models are increasingly used to reduce early stage risks in emerging clean fuel projects.
While synthetic fuel technologies are advancing, access to sufficient quantities of affordable green hydrogen remains one of the largest barriers.
Hydrogen production through electrolysis requires significant amounts of renewable electricity. The cost of electricity often determines whether green hydrogen projects can compete with conventional hydrogen produced from natural gas.
For e SAF specifically, the challenge is amplified because large volumes of hydrogen are required to produce synthetic hydrocarbons at commercial scale.
Projects in regions with strong renewable resources may have advantages, but they must still address infrastructure issues, including renewable power supply, water availability, carbon dioxide sourcing and export logistics.
