They were expected and they have arrived. A few days before the opening of the 2023 edition of the Paris Air Show, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an aid package worth several hundred million euros to help decarbonize aviation and support the development of a French sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production industry, during a visit to the Safran plant in Villaroche (Seine-et-Marne). 

An envelope of 300 million euros a year will be devoted over the period 2024-2030 to the design of new aircraft and engines. A further 200 million euros of public and private investment will go into the development of small electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft. Lastly, 200 million euros a year will go to the production of biofuels for aviation.

A biofuel plant for Elyse Energy, operational in 2028

In the wake of the unveiling of these financial aids, Emmanuel Macron announced the forthcoming installation of a biofuel production plant in Lacq, in the Pyrénées Atlantiques (64). The BioTJet project, led by Elyse Energy, will have a total annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes, including 75,000 tonnes of bio-kerosene. The BioTJet project alone represents an investment of 1 billion euros and the creation of at least 800 direct and indirect jobs. It is part of a larger project, known as E-CHO. This is the biggest investment in the Lacq basin since the discovery of a natural gas deposit in the region in 1951. The production unit will be built on a 45-hectare site in Pardies, on the former site of the Yara France factory. The plant is scheduled to come on stream in 2028, with construction scheduled to start in 2025. Supported by the French government and ADEME, BioTJet will meet 20% of national targets by 2030 in terms of biofuel use in aviation. 

Air France-KLM, already a partner of Elyse Energy

It should be noted that Air France-KLM is already a partner of Elyse Energy, and welcomed the French President's announcements. "A pioneer in the use of sustainable aviation fuel, with the first flights powered by SAF as early as 2009, the Air France-KLM group already incorporates up to 1% sustainable aviation fuel in the kerosene used on its flights departing from France and the Netherlands. By 2022, the group has purchased 17% of the world's production of sustainable aviation fuel, whereas it accounted for just 3% of global fuel consumption," explains Air France-KLM in a press release.