Texas Greenlights World's Largest eFuel Plant Backed By Porsche

HIF Global, the synthetic fuel producer backed by Porsche, has announced that it has received approval to begin construction on the world's largest production facility of its kind in Texas. Construction is set for 2024.

The Chilean company began production of synthetic fuel in December last year, and some of that precious liquid was dispensed into a Porsche 911 to mark the occasion.

However, all the e-fuel produced there was for Porsche to use in its German one-make racing series and Porsche Experience Centers globally. The pilot plant proved that the concept can work, and now e-fuel must be produced at scale, which is why the company is making its home in Texas.

"In Texas, we are taking e-fuels to the next level of commercial scale, and we are now permitted to construct the largest e-fuels facility in the world to produce approximately 200 million gallons per year of shipping fuel and e-gasoline," said Meg Gentle, executive director of the board for HIF Global.

According to Hydrogen Insight, HIF Global will require 300,000 tons of green hydrogen and two million tons of recycled carbon dioxide annually. The burning question is where the hydrogen and CO₂ will come from and how the plant will be powered. We suspect the company chose Texas to take advantage of the sunny climate for solar energy generation, but that alone will not be enough to convince naysayers that this is a green exercise. Producing synthetic fuel is a highly energy-intensive process, and some feel those resources should be aimed at EVs, with synthetic fuel tech reserved for industries that cannot adapt, like air and rail.