In operation since 2013, the Pilot Plant on the campus of Aalborg University (AAU) grew from an earlier Steeper lab-scale development initiative. The joint Pilot Plant project now runs batch campaigns and is used to further develop the Hydrofaction^® process while also being able to test feedstocks from across the globe. Significant advances have been made improving oil quality and operating parameters by being able to test changes at this facility. All work on the Pilot Plant informs decisions related to Steeper’s commercial-scale Standard Modular Plant Design (SMPD).

The Pilot Plant has a daily production capacity of about 30 kgs of Hydrofaction^® Oil.