SGV and Synhelion sign offtake agreement for solar fuel to power historic steamboats on Lake Lucerne

Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV) AG, a leading Swiss transportation company, has signed a five-year fuel offtake agreement with cleantech company Synhelion. SGV will purchase nearly 100 tons of solar fuel annually to power its fleet. This will make SGV the first navigation company in the world to use Synhelion’s solar fuel.

SGV’s iconic steamboats, integral to Lake Lucerne’s landscape for over a century, were originally powered by coal and later by fossil heating oil. With Synhelion’s drop-in solar fuels, they can transition to renewable energy without any engine modifications. SGV has signed a five-year offtake agreement for solar fuels from plant RISE, Synhelion’s first commercial plant in Spain, which is scheduled to begin production from 2027.

Solar marine fuels for sustainable transportation
This offtake agreement is part of SGV’s broader commitment to sustainability and aligns perfectly with Synhelion’s mission to contribute to a net-zero transportation sector by replacing fossil fuels with renewable solar fuels. Philipp Furler, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Synhelion, comments: “We are proud to partner with SGV, a forward-thinking navigation company committed to sustainability. By signing an offtake agreement, SGV is directly supporting the scale up of our solar fuel technology and is a true solar fuel pioneer. This agreement proves not only the need for renewable fuels in the maritime sector, but also the huge emerging market for sustainable fuels.”

Setting a course toward sustainability
From 2027, SGV aims to fully power its historic steamboat Gallia with solar fuel as part of its new exclusive offering “Legends of Lake Lucerne”. This shows how innovation and tradition can be combined to create a more sustainable future. Stefan Schulthess, Managing Director of SGV AG, adds: “Sustainability is a cornerstone of our philosophy. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint by minimizing the use of fossil fuel. Synhelion’s renewable solar fuels offer the ideal solution to defossilize our historic steamboats. We’re excited to support this disruptive technology.”

Step by step to commercial solar fuel production
In June 2024, Synhelion inaugurated DAWN, the world’s first industrial solar fuel plant in Jülich, Germany, proving the technology’s readiness for large-scale production. Looking ahead, Synhelion plans to build its first commercial solar fuel plant RISE in Spain, with a target production capacity of 1’000 tons of solar fuel per year. Plant RISE will produce renewable kerosene, diesel, and gasoline and will supply pioneering customers from various transportation sectors. This commitment from SGV follows the recent offtake agreement with Pilatus Aircraft and reinforces the growing momentum behind Synhelion’s solar fuel technology.