Synthetic fuels offer an additional pathway that can complement existing approaches in hard-to-abate sectors. Here is how they work, how they compare with other fuel types, and how OMV is helping bring them into real-world use.
At a glance
- Synthetic fuels are made by combining captured CO₂ from biogenic sources, with green hydrogen produced using renewable energy.
- They complement electric and biofuel solutions, especially in sectors such as aviation and chemical applications, which will continue to need liquid fuels or carbon-based raw materials.
- Synthetic fuels can help fuel producers and suppliers meet renewable-fuel requirements under RED III, with these regulations already in force in Germany.
- The synthetic fuels market is still developing. Today, one practical route is to replace fossil ingredients within existing fuels, while future opportunities include synthetic aviation fuel, or eSAF.
- OMV is using eMethanol sourced from Kassø in Denmark to build its market access, certification expertise and partnerships needed to grow its synthetic fuels business.
From aeroplanes to trucks, fuels for most modern modes of transport contain two elements/ingredients: hydrogen and carbon.
Synthetic fuels offer a different way to make those molecules. The combination of green hydrogen, CO₂ from biogenic sources such as biogas production and renewable energy sources can create fuels and raw materials with less reliance on fossil-based inputs.
Synthetic fuels provide an additional pathway for transport and industry alongside electrification and biofuels. They are being developed as an alternative production route that uses hydrogen and carbon sources instead of relying exclusively on fossil-based feedstocks. While the market is still developing, some synthetic fuels are already beginning to find their way into real-world fuel production.
So, what exactly makes a fuel synthetic, and where can this technology make the biggest difference?
What are synthetic fuels made from?
As Sorin Ivanovici, [Senior Advisor Synthetic Transformation], explains, the process is about “mimicking nature”. Plants use sunlight, water and CO₂ to create biomass. Synthetic fuels follow a similar concept by combining renewable energy, hydrogen and captured carbon to create energy carriers and chemical feedstock. The CO₂ can come from the atmosphere or from a biogenic source.
The difference between synthetic fuels and biofuels becomes clearer when we look at where each fuel pathway starts:
| Fuel pathway | Starting point |
| Fossil fuels | Fossil-based resources |
| Biofuels | Plant oils, residues, waste and other biological materials |
| Synthetic fuels | Green Hydrogen, CO2 from the atmosphere or biological sources, and renewable energy |
Synthetic fuels and biofuels are not an either/or. Biofuels make use of biological materials, including residues and waste. Synthetic fuels create an additional pathway using renewable electricity and chemistry.
Synthetic fuels provide an additional production pathway for sectors that continue to require liquid fuels or carbon-based feedstocks, such as aviation, transport and the chemicals industry.
How can synthetic fuels be used today?
Turning that potential into commercial use does not always begin with a fully synthetic finished fuel. Some of today’s opportunities start one step earlier, by replacing a fossil ingredient within an existing production process.
Current applications can involve synthetic components being introduced into products that already exist. Companies can begin using these molecules while building experience in how they are sourced, transported and integrated into established fuel systems.
A synthetic component, however, is not the same thing as a fully synthetic fuel. eMethanol, for example, is a synthetic molecule (= a component) that can be used in fuel production, but that does not mean it is simply poured into an existing engine as a finished fuel.
Different synthetic fuels and components have different uses, as well as their own technical and regulatory requirements. In Germany, OMV is already putting this component-level approach into practice.
How OMV is using eMethanol
OMV is moving to build its synthetic fuels business by bringing eMethanol into commercial use in Germany. For this application, we source eMethanol from Solar Park Kassø ApS (SPK) in Denmark, a joint venture between European Energy and Mitsui.
This application is part of OMV’s broader effort to grow its synthetic fuels business and build the market access, certification expertise and value chain partnerships needed for future growth and build the market access, certification expertise and value chain partnerships needed for future growth.
Germany was a natural first implementation market for this application because the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) has already been implemented nationally. The regulation requires fuel producers to include qualifying renewable fuels in their portfolios, including Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBOs), which is an important driver in the future of synthetic fuel growth. Mandatory RFNBO volumes have been in place in Germany since 2026, and using eMethanol as a component helps OMV meet those requirements.
The eMethanol replaces fossil methanol used to make a biodiesel component, which is then blended into diesel supplied to commercial road transport customers in Germany.
For customers, the change happens upstream rather than at the vehicle. By replacing a fossil input during biodiesel-component production, this application contributes to lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared with the use of fossil methanol, depending on the production pathway and application.
Bringing eMethanol into commercial use also gives us practical experience in sourcing, logistics, infrastructure and getting new fuels to market. Those capabilities are part of what a larger synthetic-fuels market will require.
Building toward synthetic aviation fuel (eSAF)
Aviation is one area where synthetic fuels could take a larger role in the future. eMethanol, for instance, can serve as a feedstock for synthetic aviation fuel, or eSAF. We are also working on technology to convert methanol into aviation fuel, using one synthetic molecule as the starting point for another.
Large aircraft will continue to need liquid fuel, making eSAF an important future application for synthetic molecules. As the market develops, eMethanol is expected to become one of the main feedstocks used to produce it.
Different sectors will follow different transition pathways, and synthetic fuels are one part of that broader transition. By bringing practical applications to market today, OMV is contributing to the partnerships, infrastructure development and market experience that may support future scale-up of synthetic fuels.