ENEOS and German eFuel One strike green hydrogen e-gasoline export deal targeting Japan

Japan’s largest oil refiner, ENEOS, has signed a forward-looking strategic agreement with German eFuel One (GEF1) under which the German company could supply an unspecified volume of green hydrogen-based e-gasoline from its planned 75,000-tonne-per-year production facility in Lower Saxony for import into the Japanese market.

ENEOS said the fuel could be offered to transport and mobility customers in Japan, supporting the decarbonisation of existing vehicle fleets and fuel infrastructure without requiring engine conversions.

GEF1’s planned German plant will source e-methanol from HIF Global’s project in Uruguay under a non-binding arrangement concluded earlier this year, and will then use CAC Engineering’s Methafuel technology to convert the e-methanol into a drop-in e-gasoline that is compatible with conventional combustion engines and existing fuel infrastructure.

GEF1 is targeting plant commissioning in late 2028. The deal is not yet definitive, but the two companies described it as a broader strategic partnership aimed at contributing to climate targets in both Europe and Japan while strengthening Germany’s position as a future e-fuel exporter.

Japan depends almost entirely on imported energy and has placed clean hydrogen and its derivatives at the centre of its decarbonisation strategy, with the government supporting long-term import agreements as part of its Contracts for Difference scheme for low-emissions hydrogen.