Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France) has been selected to contribute to two large energy projects in the U.S.
First, Southern Energy Renewables Inc., a U.S.-based producer of low-cost fuels made from biomass, with a flagship Louisiana project that plans to utilize regional wood-waste biomass to deliver green methanol and carbon-negative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at scale, announced that Southern and Axens have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of SAF and related fuel projects, with an initial focus on Southern’s planned biomass to fuel facility in Louisiana.
Axens is a global provider of process technologies, equipment, catalysts, and services for the conversion of oil and biomass into cleaner fuels, renewable fuels and bio based chemicals, natural gas treatment, and carbon capture solutions. The company’s portfolio includes more than 3,000 industrial units under license worldwide and a full suite of solutions from feasibility studies through unit start up and lifecycle support.
Under the MoU, Southern is responsible for leading overall project development, including site work, permitting, feedstock and offtake engagement, and coordination with local stakeholders. Axens is slated to serve as licensor of record for key technologies across the value chain, including CO₂ capture and conditioning and SAF production technologies, with the goal of advancing a de risked, bankable pathway from regional biomass to low carbon fuels. The parties expect to focus first on the Louisiana facility, then evaluate additional opportunities in other regions as appropriate.
In parallel with the Axens collaboration, Southern has created an experimental digital token referred to as “$SAF.” The current concept is to use $SAF over time as a data layer that helps track and visualize production from Southern’s facilities, starting with limited use at the pilot plant and, subject to further development and approvals, extending to the flagship Louisiana project. The framework is intended to link token issuance and retirement to measured output and associated operational data, with the goal of improving traceability around SAF production and providing an additional lens on process performance and optimization, without changing how the underlying fuels are produced, sold, or accounted for.
Axens has also been selected by America First Refining (AFR) as the technology licensor for its large-scale refining facility at the Port of Brownsville, Texas. The project marks the first new refinery to be built in the United States in more than 50 years.
As part of the agreement, Axens will provide its industry-leading refining technologies to support the design and operation of the facility, including critical systems that will contribute to the refinery’s overall performance and reduced energy consumption.
Axens has been engaged on the project since 2017, working alongside America First Refining entities to advance the development of a next-generation facility purpose-built for American energy. The AFR facility will leverage commercially proven technologies to efficiently process American shale oil into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Once operational, the refinery is expected to process more than 60 million barrels per year of domestic crude, supporting U.S. energy resilience and modernizing refining infrastructure.
The refinery is specifically designed to process 100% American light shale oil, aligning U.S. refining capacity with today’s production landscape. Located at a deep-water port with access to global markets, the facility will produce some of the cleanest fuels refined at scale in the United States while strengthening domestic supply chains.