Latvia to build first Baltic renewable fuel plant at Port of Riga

A renewable fuel production facility for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is set to be established at the Port of Riga, Latvia, making it the first of its kind in the Baltics, the port announced on Tuesday November 26

The total project cost is estimated at €120 million ($126 million) and is led by Latvian logistics and transport company Sia Pars Terminals in partnership with Ukrainian investors.

Located in Kundziņsala, the facility will have the capacity to process 236,000 tonnes per year of raw materials, producing 93,000 tonnes of HVO and 87,000 tonnes of SAF.

Construction is expected to be completed in 20 months, with all required equipment and technologies already in place, the port said.

The plant will use vegetable oils as the main raw material for the production of the renewable fuels.

Latvia’s aviation sector, including its national carrier airBaltic, stands to gain significantly from the project.

“[The facility] would bring immediate, significant economic benefits, especially after 2030, when at least 20% of the fuel consumed in aviation will have to be renewable,” Armands Sadauskis, owner of Sia Pars Terminals, said.

Fastmarkets’ senior analyst, Tore Alden, answers six key questions on the challenges faced by the sustainable aviation fuel industry. Watch the full interview here.

Alignment with regulations

This agreement aligns with the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which has set progressive targets for SAF usage. Starting at 2% by 2025, the target increases to 70% by 2050.

This development also aligns with a broader initiative by the Latvian Ministry of Transport to evaluate SAF production potential in Latvia and Estonia.

Launched in July 2024, the 16-month project aims to identify optimal policy frameworks and technological solutions for SAF production.

The initiative includes interviews with policymakers and industry representatives, country-specific assessments of SAF technologies, and recommendations to enhance competitiveness in the SAF industry, the Latvian ministry said in a statement in October.

View our SAF prices

What to read next
The Fastmarkets Forest Products Europe Conference 2026 brought together leaders from across the industry to discuss what pressures have gripped markets across the past year. Key takeaways: Interested in getting more insights like this firsthand? You can now register to attend the Fastmarkets Forest Products Latin America Conference 2026. Learn more. As recent geopolitical tension […]
The steel market is increasingly pivoting away from blast furnace (BF) production and toward electric-arc furnaces (EAFs), Keith Shuttlesworth, chief commercial officer of clean iron technology company Electra, told Fastmarkets in an interview on Tuesday March 10.
The recent wave of anti-dumping measures approved in Brazil has been met with some concern in China — the country most affected by the Brazilian government’s decisions in this case — but despite the negative impact, Chinese participants see the moves as just another phase of doing business.
Discover how data-driven procurement helps private label brands navigate rising costs, outperform national competitors, and maintain a winning shelf presence.
Discover how lithium price fluctuations affect BESS markets and procurement strategies
Commercial aerospace and AI computing power are set to be the primary drivers of demand for the space-based photovoltaics (PV) industry, according to industry sources.