STEEPER ENERGY APS

Their core work

Steeper Energy is a Danish cleantech SME developing Hydrofaction, a proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process that converts low-value biomass and waste feedstocks into renewable hydrocarbon bio-crude oil. Their technology targets drop-in replacements for fossil transport fuels, particularly in aviation and heavy road transport where electrification is not viable. They combine process engineering, catalytic upgrading know-how, and pilot-scale demonstration experience to take bio-crude from lab chemistry to industrially relevant volumes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their 2015-2017 work under Hydrofaction focused on proving the core resource- and cost-effective conversion of biomass to hydrocarbon oil as an SME-led demonstration. From 2018 onward, through NextGenRoadFuels, the focus shifted toward catalytic upgrading of HTL bio-crude and widening the feedstock base to low-value urban waste streams for transport fuel applications. The trajectory is clear: from proving the base HTL technology to integrating it into a complete drop-in fuel value chain.

They are moving downstream from bio-crude production toward finished drop-in transport fuels and broader feedstock flexibility, which positions them well for sustainable aviation fuel and circular-economy waste-to-fuel partnerships.

How they like to work

Steeper Energy has demonstrated both leadership and partner capability: they coordinated Hydrofaction under the SME instrument and then joined a larger RIA consortium (NextGenRoadFuels) as a technology contributor. This dual posture — driving their own commercialization project while plugging their core technology into bigger research consortia — suggests a pragmatic SME that can both own a work package and integrate into multi-partner value chains. Across 2 projects they worked with 11 distinct partners in 7 countries, indicating genuine openness rather than a closed circle.

Across two H2020 projects they built a network of 11 unique partners spanning 7 countries, giving them a genuinely pan-European footprint despite their small size. The reach extends beyond Nordic neighbors into broader EU research and industrial ecosystems.

What sets them apart

Steeper Energy owns a named, proprietary HTL technology (Hydrofaction) and is one of the few European SMEs to have taken hydrothermal liquefaction from concept into EU-funded demonstration. Unlike academic HTL groups, they are an industrial actor focused on commercialization; unlike large oil majors, they are agile and willing to co-develop with research partners. For a consortium needing a credible industrial HTL partner with operational know-how rather than just papers, they are a short-list candidate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Hydrofaction
  Their largest engagement (EUR 1.84M) and coordinator role under the SME-2 instrument, dedicated to scaling their proprietary biomass-to-hydrocarbon-oil technology.
• NextGenRoadFuels
  A RIA consortium project where they contribute HTL and catalytic upgrading expertise to produce drop-in transport fuels from urban waste — a concrete step toward sustainable aviation and road fuel markets.