Steeper Energy
Steeper Energy is a Danish-Canadian technology company that licenses its proprietary Hydrofaction® hydrothermal liquefaction process to convert low-value biomass waste (forestry, agricultural, animal, and municipal solid waste) into renewable biocrude for upgrading into diesel, marine, and sustainable aviation fuels, with first licensee Silva Green Fuel operating a 30 BPD demonstration plant in Norway.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersHørsholm, Denmark
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Steeper Energy does
Steeper Energy ApS (Denmark) and Steeper Energy Canada Limited together form a privately-held, PE-backed (majority owned by Calgary-based TOM Capital since 2012) advanced biofuels technology company that has developed, patented, and is commercializing Hydrofaction® — a proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process that converts low-value lignocellulosic biomass (forestry residues, agricultural crop residues, animal waste, and the biogenic portion of municipal solid waste) into a high-quality biocrude (Hydrofaction® Oil, 81% carbon, 9% hydrogen, ≤10% oxygen) without requiring feedstock drying. The platform is delivered as technology licenses (first licensee is Silva Green Fuel, a Statkraft–Södra JV operating a 30 BPD commercial-scale demonstration plant in Tofte, Norway since October 2021) plus engineering, technical, and project-development services, with a Standard Modular Plant Design (SMPD) enabling commercial plants up to ~2,000 BPD via parallel 200–800 BPD lines. Hydrofaction® Oil is upgraded via standard refining techniques (hydrocracking, hydrotreating, fractional distillation) into renewable gasoline, diesel, marine fuels, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and the process inherently produces 80–90 kg of pure liquid CO2 per 100 kg of oil, enabling negative-carbon-intensity pathways. Customers and partners are concentrated in heavy industry — oil refiners, energy majors (Shell DK), renewable-fuel off-takers (SkyNRG), forestry and pulp producers (Södra), utilities (Statkraft), and biogas operators (Nature Energy) — across Denmark, Norway, Canada, and broader EU/North American markets, with the company supported by CAD $40M+ in cumulative government grants.
Steeper Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Steeper Energy
- Legal name
- Steeper Energy Canada Limited and Steeper Energy Aps (Denmark)
- Website
- https://steeperenergy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Steeper Energy is a Danish-Canadian technology company that licenses its proprietary Hydrofaction® hydrothermal liquefaction process to convert low-value biomass waste (forestry, agricultural, animal, and municipal solid waste) into renewable biocrude for upgrading into diesel, marine, and sustainable aviation fuels, with first licensee Silva Green Fuel operating a 30 BPD demonstration plant in Norway.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Steeper Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Biofuels Technology
- NAICS
- Biomass Electric Power Generation (221117)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Renewable Diesel (HVO/HEFA) Production (EUAAAHAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial Waste-to-Energy (Non-Hazardous Process Wastes) (EUACAIAI), BECCS Project Development & Integration (Permitting, FEED, EPC Interface) (EUAAALAA), Wastewater Treatment Plant Biogas & CHP (EUACAIAE)
Keywords
Where Steeper Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hørsholm
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Steeper Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Technology Licensing: Steeper Energy licenses its Hydrofaction® technology to project developers and industrial partners who build and operate biomass-to-biofuel production facilities. Licensees include Silva Green Fuel (first licensee in Norway). The company provides technical expertise, process design, and operational support to licensees.
- Engineering and Technical Services: The company provides technical services related to project development, feedstock evaluation, process optimization, and operational support for Hydrofaction® plant implementations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Technology licensing terms are negotiated on a per-project basis |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Steeper Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Steeper Energy develops and licenses Hydrofaction®, a proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process that converts low-value biomass waste streams (forestry residues, agricultural waste, animal waste, biogenic municipal solid waste) into renewable biocrude oil that can be upgraded into drop-in gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuels. The company licenses this technology to project developers and industrial partners worldwide, supported by engineering services and modular plant design.
Product overview
Steeper Energy is a technology company offering Hydrofaction®, a proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology platform for converting biomass waste into renewable fuels. The core offering consists of the Hydrofaction® technology that converts woody biomass, agricultural waste, animal waste, and municipal solid waste into Hydrofaction® Oil (biocrude containing 81% carbon, 9% hydrogen). The Standard Modular Plant Design (SMPD) provides commercial-scale deployment with 200-800 BPD parallel processing lines. Additional modules include Upgrading to Advanced Biofuels (hydrocracking, hydrotreating, fractional distillation for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and marine fuels) and CO2 Capture (producing 80-90 kg liquid CO2 per 100 kg oil). The company operates the Advanced Biofuels Center (ABC) in Calgary and an Aalborg Pilot Plant in Denmark, with a commercial demonstration plant (Silva Green Fuel) operational in Norway since 2021.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hydrofaction® Technology License Proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process licensed to project developers and industrial partners globally for converting biomass waste streams (woody, agricultural, animal, MSW) into renewable biocrude oil. Licensees include Silva Green Fuel (Norway).
- Standard Modular Plant Design (SMPD) Commercial-scale plant design framework with independent parallel processing lines of 200-800 BPD each, achieving nominal 2,000 BPD production capacity. Allows project owners to configure facilities based on feedstock availability.
- Engineering and Technical Services Technical services for project development, feedstock evaluation, process optimization, and operational support provided to Hydrofaction® plant implementations.
- Advanced Biofuels Center (ABC) R&D Services R&D facility at the University of Calgary Life Sciences Innovation Hub dedicated to advancing pilot-scale research on upgrading Hydrofaction® Oil into renewable fuels and exploring co-processing opportunities with refinery feedstocks.
Quantifiable outcome
- Production of 80-90 kg liquid CO2 per 100 kg of biocrude oil produced
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Steeper Energy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Steeper Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Steeper Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Silva Green Fuel (SGF)coreSilva Green Fuel (SGF) is the first licensee of Steeper's Hydrofaction® technology. SGF completed construction of a commercial-scale demonstration plant in Tofte, Norway in October/November 2021 with 30 BPD nominal production capacity. SGF is a partnership between Statkraft and Södra.
- StatkraftcoreNorway-based company leading in hydropower internationally and Europe's largest generator of renewable energy. Partner in Silva Green Fuel joint venture, providing strategic backing for the first Hydrofaction® demonstration plant. Selected Steeper's technology after evaluating over 40 competing technologies.
- SödracoreSweden's largest forest owner cooperative with 50,000 forest owners and extensive forestry operations. Leading producer of paper pulp, sawn timber, and bioenergy. Partner in Silva Green Fuel joint venture, providing feedstock expertise and access to forest residues.
- Nature EnergyminorDanish biogas company partnering with Steeper on the BioGasOil project (EUDP grant). Subject to success of de-risking parameters, Nature Energy may license and build a full-scale commercial Hydrofaction® plant processing digestate fibers from 3-5 nearby biogas plants.
- Aalborg UniversityminorDanish technical university hosting Steeper's pilot plant facility. Partner in multiple research projects including BioGasOil and Bio4Fuels. Provides research infrastructure and academic expertise for technology development.
- Emissions Reductions Alberta (ERA)minorAlberta government agency providing $5 million CAD grant to leverage Steeper's Hydrofaction® technology to identify and define a commercial renewable fuel production project within Alberta.
- Shell DKminorPartner in Low Carb Fuel project (Danish InnovationFund Grand Solutions) focused on optimization of upgrading and fractionation to specification aviation and marine fuels. Shell DK bringing refining expertise and potential commercialization pathway.
- SkyNRGminorPartner in Low Carb Fuel project focused on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. Contributing market access and sustainability expertise for aviation fuel applications.
- Hatch EngineeringminorEngineering consultancy partnered with Steeper and Alberta government on $10 million ERA project to identify and define commercial renewable fuel production project in Alberta.
- Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyminorGerman technical university partner in NextGenRoadFuels EU project focused on HTL technology and upgrading to sustainable drop-in fuels from urban waste streams.
- SINTEFminorNorwegian research organization partner in NextGenRoadFuels project. Contributing process expertise and testing capabilities for HTL biocrude upgrading.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Steeper Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Licella Holdings: Australian developer of Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (CatHTR) technology — a hydrothermal liquefaction process converting biomass waste into biocrude. Closest direct competitor to Steeper's Hydrofaction®, with similar feedstock flexibility and target end markets (renewable fuels, chemicals).
- SunFire GmbH: German cleantech company developing power-to-liquid and hydrothermal conversion technologies for e-fuels and synthetic fuels. Competes in the same advanced biofuels space as Steeper, with focus on renewable diesel and SAF from waste and CO2 feedstocks.
- Velocys plc: UK/US company developing Fischer-Tropsch technology to convert biomass and waste into renewable jet fuel and diesel. Competes with Hydrofaction® in the biomass-to-drop-in-fuels licensing market, particularly for SAF applications.
- Gevo Inc. US renewable fuels company developing isobutanol and alcohol-to-jet pathways for SAF and renewable gasoline. Pursues biomass-to-renewable-fuels conversion with similar licensing ambitions, though using a different technology route than Steeper's HTL.
- Aemetis Inc. US renewable fuels company producing renewable diesel and SAF using HEFA pathway from vegetable oils and tallow. A vertically integrated competitor in the renewable diesel market, with operating California plant expanding to SAF.
- SkyNRG: Dutch sustainable aviation fuel developer and broker with focus on SAF project development. Already a Steeper partner in the Low Carb Fuel project, but also operates competing SAF production pathways. Direct overlap on SAF market entry with Steeper's renewable jet fuel.
- LanzaTech: US/New Zealand carbon capture company using gas fermentation to convert industrial off-gases into ethanol and SAF precursors. Competes in the advanced biofuels space with major offtake agreements (ArcelorMittal, Suncor, Indian Oil) — a well-capitalized competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Neste Oyj: Finland-based global leader in renewable diesel and SAF production (HEFA/HVO pathway). Operates multi-billion liter scale refineries using conventional biomass-to-biofuel technology. Represents the dominant incumbent in the broader renewable diesel market Steeper targets.
- Honeywell UOP: Major process technology licensor to oil refining and petrochemicals, with growing renewable fuels portfolio including Ecofining (HEFA), Fischer-Tropsch, and hydroprocessing technologies. Provides competing upgrading pathways to Hydrofaction® Oil and licenses to most major refiners globally.
Others
- Haldor Topsøe: Danish catalysis and process technology company — already a Steeper partner in NextGenRoadFuels. Supplies hydroprocessing catalysts and refinery process technology that competes with and complements Hydrofaction® Oil upgrading routes. Adjacent ecosystem participant.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Steeper Energy social profiles
Digital presenceSteeper Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Steeper Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Steeper Energy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Steeper Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Steeper Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Steeper Energy
What does Steeper Energy do?
Steeper Energy develops and licenses Hydrofaction®, a proprietary hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process that converts low-value biomass waste streams (forestry residues, agricultural waste, animal waste, biogenic municipal solid waste) into renewable biocrude oil that can be upgraded into drop-in gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuels. The company licenses this technology to project developers and industrial partners worldwide, supported by engineering services and modular plant design.
Is Steeper Energy a public or private company?
Steeper Energy is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Steeper Energy founded?
Steeper Energy was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Steeper Energy based?
Steeper Energy is headquartered in Hørsholm, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Steeper Energy make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Technology Licensing is the primary driver. The others are engineering and Technical Services.
Who are Steeper Energy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Licella Holdings, SunFire GmbH, Velocys plc, Gevo Inc., Aemetis Inc., SkyNRG and LanzaTech. Broad incumbents are Neste Oyj and Honeywell UOP. Haldor Topsøe is listed as an others.
Does Steeper Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Steeper Energy.
What industry is Steeper Energy in?
Steeper Energy's product category is Advanced Biofuels Technology. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAAAHAD, Renewable Diesel (HVO/HEFA) Production, with a secondary code of EUACAIAI, Industrial Waste-to-Energy (Non-Hazardous Process Wastes). Its NAICS code is 221117.