KBR review backs Syntholene’s geothermal hydrogen economics for eSAF production
In the UK, SAF Investor reported that Syntholene Energy has received an independent technical and economic review of its geothermal-integrated hydrogen production platform, assessing its potential application to low-carbon fuels including synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF).
The report noted that Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) was engaged to review the technical basis and cost methodology behind Syntholene’s hydrogen technology. The review assessed the company’s levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) approach and ran sensitivity analysis across key cost variables, concluding a likely LCOH of around $1.75/kg H2 under best-case Iceland geothermal conditions, rising to around $2.10/kg H2 under broader deployment.
The report added that hydrogen is the dominant cost driver in synthetic aviation fuel production, making low-cost generation central to cost-competitive eSAF.
The review noted that successful operation at Syntholene’s demonstration facility in Húsavík, Iceland, would generate key operating data on efficiency, thermal integration, reliability and stack degradation.
“Syntholene’s core thesis is that low-cost synthetic fuel production starts with low-cost clean hydrogen, and that the lowest-cost clean hydrogen will come from systems that intelligently use both electricity and heat,” said Dan Sutton, CEO, Syntholene Energy. “The report identifies the major cost drivers, validates the importance of our now-operating Húsavík Demonstration Facility, and reinforces why geothermal colocation can be a structural advantage in synthetic fuel production.”
Category: Hydrogen
