Syzygy Plasmonics Partners With World Bank's IFC to Scale SAF in Latin America

Syzygy Plasmonics has signed a framework agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, to support the development of a pipeline of SAF projects across Latin America. Under the agreement, IFC will provide technical and commercial advisory services as Syzygy advances individual projects, establishing a pathway for further collaboration as the company scales its SAF platform across the region.

What Makes Syzygy's Technology Different

Unlike conventional industrial processes that rely on fossil-fuel heat, Syzygy's proprietary NovaSAF technology uses renewable electricity to power light-driven photocatalytic reactors that convert biogas into SAF. The company states the process can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional jet fuel. This is a genuinely different production pathway from the HEFA, alcohol-to-jet and Fischer-Tropsch routes covered elsewhere in this series, converting biogas directly via light-driven catalysis rather than through thermal or biological conversion processes.

The Project This Framework Is Built Around

The first project supported under the agreement is NovaSAF-1, a planned commercial-scale SAF facility in Durazno, Uruguay, which would mark the first commercial deployment of Syzygy's technology. The facility's biogas feedstock will come from Estancias del Lago, a powdered milk plant in Uruguay, alongside a separate feedstock agreement with Geo Bio Gas & Carbon. Trafigura has signed a binding offtake agreement covering NovaSAF-1's full production, while Trafigura and World Fuel Services have separately entered capacity reservation agreements covering future facilities across the region.

Why the IFC's Involvement Signals Something Specific

The IFC's role here is explicitly advisory and evaluative, providing technical and commercial guidance while assessing financing opportunities, rather than committing capital directly at this stage. IFC Regional Investment Manager Raphaël Eskinazi framed the organization's involvement around bridging the gap between innovative technology and commercially viable, scalable deployment, language consistent with a development finance institution positioning itself ahead of a larger financing decision rather than announcing one.

Why Latin America Specifically

The region's combination of abundant renewable electricity potential and available biogas feedstocks, particularly from agricultural and dairy operations such as Estancias del Lago, is what Syzygy is betting on to support a repeatable technology deployment model across multiple countries, rather than a single-site demonstration. Syzygy CEO Trevor Best described the IFC's involvement as a signal the company has the technology, project pipeline and commercial agreements needed to scale, framing NovaSAF-1 as the first proof point for a broader regional build-out rather than a standalone project.

Source: GreenAir News, 21 August 2026.