Regional SAF: FatHopes teams up with UAE firm to develop SE Asia’s largest SAF refinery

By Romel S. Gurky

Malaysian renewable fuels developer FatHopes Energy said it had appointed engineering firms Technip Energies and Wison Engineering Ltd. to conduct a technical feasibility study for its proposed sustainable aviation fuel refinery in Malaysia.

The companies will independently assess the project’s engineering design and technical configuration before one of them is selected to carry out the front end engineering design (FEED) phase, FatHopes Energy said in a statement on Monday.

The project is being developed by FatHopes Energy in collaboration with UAE firm  Bin Zayed International Group and is expected to become one of Southeast Asia’s largest sustainable aviation fuel production facilities.

The feasibility study, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, will determine the refinery’s engineering framework and economic viability ahead of a final investment decision.

“Bringing in world class engineering partners is an essential milestone in the development of this project,” Vinesh Sinha, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FatHopes Energy, said in the statement.

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The refinery is expected to use the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) pathway, one of the most widely used technologies for producing sustainable aviation fuel from renewable feedstocks.

Engineering studies will evaluate key process units including a Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil unit, a hydrogen production unit and feedstock pre treatment facilities, as well as develop a master site layout and preliminary environmental baseline.

FatHopes Energy said the project will be located near Port Klang, providing access to global shipping routes through the Strait of Malacca.

The refinery aims to supply sustainable aviation fuel to international markets while supporting the aviation industry’s efforts to cut carbon emissions.

The project builds on an earlier feasibility assessment conducted by FGENexantECA, which validated the developer’s feedstock strategy based on used cooking oil, palm oil mill effluent oil and other renewable residues from the palm oil supply chain.

FatHopes Energy is also exploring additional feedstocks such as spent bleaching earth oil, empty fruit bunch oil and algae oil as it expands its renewable fuel supply network across Southeast Asia.

Permitting and regulatory planning for the refinery is being led by Wan Husin & Associates Sdn. Bhd., which will oversee the project’s approval process with Malaysian authorities.

Editing by Alexander Ginting