The company is establishing a $3 billion “seed to fuel” project in Brazil to produce up to 1 billion litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) yearly from the native macaúba fruit.
May 2026, Acelen Renewables’ project reached final investment decision, securing $1.5 billion to begin construction of a biofuels refinery in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil.
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Bright Spot | Acelen Renewables
Harnessing Brazil’s potential for sustainable growth, Acelen Renewables is transforming Brazil’s degraded lands into productive ecosystems for renewable fuel production. They are proving that a little-known, native, resilient macaúba fruit oilseed can fuel the future of aviation, building the first integrated and large-scale project to turn macaúba into jet fuel. In May 2026, Acelen Renewables’ project reached final investment decision, securing $1.5 billion to begin construction of a biofuels refinery in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil.
Financial institutions are not used to the bio-economy. To build investor confidence, we needed to provide evidence that the risks could be managed and the project would be commercially viable.
Acelen Renewables
Acelen Renewables was launched in 2023 with a clear mission: to rehabilitate Brazil’s vast degraded areas to create a new source of energy. Acelen saw the opportunity to develop macaúba, a hardy native tree, as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Macaúba thrives on degraded land – it grows on poor soils, requires little water and does not compete with food crops – so it offers a way to contribute to decarbonising aviation without posing a threat to food security.
With an investment of around US$3 billion, backed by Mubadala Capital and leveraging the Mataripe industrial hub, the project pioneers the use of macaúba to produce 1.3bn liters of renewables fuels annually, including SAF and HVO, while also creating new economic opportunities, improving energy security and delivering social benefits.
Given the global demand, the sector thrives on diverse suppliers. By strengthening bilateral dialogue, advancing international collaboration, and promoting a shared understanding of science, we can ensure that every project contributes to a stronger, fairer, and truly sustainable future.
Maíra Peruzzo
Strategic Affairs Manager, Acelen Renewables
Read in full on our Build Clean Now campaign site
Bright Spot | Acelen Renewables
Discover many more success stories in our report
Global Project Tracker | Clean industry: dawn of a new era
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Bright Spots are part of the Build Clean Now campaign. Every Bright Spot is an opportunity to inspire the next wave of progress.
With thanks to Acelen for the images shown. © Acelen
Mission Possible Partnership | MPP
Mission Possible Partnership (MPP) is an independent non-profit organisation advancing global clean industry transformation. Since 2019, we have been working with some of the most energy-intensive industries: aluminium, aviation, cement, chemicals, shipping and steel, to cut their nearly 25% of global GHG emissions.
We mobilise business, finance, government and civil society leaders to speed up the shift to clean materials, chemicals and fuels. Having charted sectoral pathways to net-zero, we continue to forge new territory, lifting the barriers to enable a critical mass of clean industrial projects to break ground by 2030.
Industrial Transition Accelerator | ITA
The ITA is a global multi-stakeholder platform -managed by Mission Possible Partnership – to fast-track decarbonisation across heavy-emitting industry and transport sectors. It aims to significantly grow the pipeline of commercial-scale, clean industrial projects to reduce emissions by 2030.
Build Clean Now | BCN
Build Clean Now is a global campaign bringing together governments, companies and finance to accelerate the pace at which clean industrial projects are financed and built, year-on-year. It is led by the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA) and Mission Possible Partnership (MPP).
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