5 November 2026

Shell Signs Long-Term Sustainable Aviation Fuel Agreement from Planned Morocco Facility

Edited by:

African Pilot Magazine

Why this article matters
Shell’s Port Nador agreement is an offtake commitment for a plant that is still planned and scheduled to start up in October 2028. It sits alongside an earlier long-term arrangement linked to Green Sky Capital’s planned HEFA plant in Egypt, which is expected to supply up to 145,000 tonnes a year from the end of 2027, and within a Shell SAF portfolio that also draws on plants in Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States.

Once production begins, the Port Nador volumes must meet the ASTM D7566 aviation fuel specification and carry sustainability documentation issued under a European Commission-approved voluntary certification scheme such as ISCC EU. The lifecycle emissions of the fuel depend on the feedstock and production pathway, so the used cooking oil, animal fats and vegetable oils named for the plant will shape its environmental performance in operation. The agreement establishes Shell’s offtake position ahead of the plant’s scheduled start-up.

Of Interest
- Shell Trading Rotterdam B.V. signed a long-term offtake agreement with Green Sky Manara LLC for a planned facility at Port Nador, Morocco, announced on 2 November 2026.
- The agreement will give Shell exclusive offtake rights to approximately 150,000 tonnes a year of SAF or an equivalent volume of HVO, plus bionaphtha and biopropane.
- The Port Nador plant is scheduled to start up in October 2028.
- The SAF must meet the ASTM D7566 aviation fuel specification and carry sustainability documentation issued under a European Commission-approved voluntary certification scheme such as ISCC EU.
- Green Sky Capital, an affiliate of Green Sky Manara LLC, is developing a HEFA plant in Egypt that is expected to provide up to 145,000 tonnes a year of SAF from the end of 2027.

Shell Trading Rotterdam B.V., a subsidiary of Shell plc, has signed a long-term offtake agreement with Green Sky Manara LLC for the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other renewable fuels from a proposed production facility at Port Nador in Morocco.

Announced on 2 November 2026, the agreement gives Shell exclusive rights to approximately 150,000 tonnes of SAF annually, or an equivalent volume of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), as well as bionaphtha and biopropane produced at the facility. The plant is expected to commence operations in October 2028.

The SAF is expected to be produced using feedstocks such as used cooking oil, animal fats, vegetable oils and other lipid-based materials. The fuel will be required to comply with the ASTM D7566 aviation fuel specification and be accompanied by sustainability certification under a European Commission-approved voluntary scheme, such as ISCC EU. Shell acknowledges that SAF is not emissions-free, with lifecycle emissions varying according to the feedstock and production process.

Richard Jory, Shell’s Executive Vice-President of Products Trading, said the agreement supports the company’s strategy of improving customer access to lower-carbon fuels, including SAF, while developing resilient and commercially viable supply chains.

The Moroccan agreement follows an earlier long-term offtake arrangement associated with a planned hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) facility in Egypt. The Egyptian project is being developed by Green Sky Capital, an affiliate of Green Sky Manara LLC, and is expected to produce up to 145,000 tonnes of SAF annually from the end of 2027.

Both agreements form part of Shell’s broader SAF supply portfolio, which includes offtake arrangements with production facilities in Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States. According to Shell, it currently supplies SAF at more than 80 airports across 18 countries.

In a separate development, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) published a project summary on 14 October 2026 for a SAF production facility being developed by Green Sky Capital at Nador West Med Port in Morocco. The proposed plant has a design capacity of up to 200,000 tonnes annually. The EBRD is considering financing of up to US$105 million for the project, with an approval date scheduled for 18 November 2026.