In operation since 2013, the Steeper Pilot Plant grew out of an earlier lab-scale development initiative, in coordination with and co-located at Aalborg University. In July 2025 Steeper fully acquired the plant and moved it to its Aalborg East location. The facility is currently undergoing upgrades to increase the plant’s capacity by tenfold, and to incorporate the latest Hydrofaction^® technology into the plant. Planned operation of the pilot plant is expected throughout 2026, with the Next-Generation Demonstration Plant expected to be ready in 2027. By Q1 2026 the plant will be able to produce between 50 and 160 liters of Hydrofaction^® oil per day in batch runs. In 2027, it is anticipated that this will increase to between 650 to 1,100 liters per day in a semi-continuous manner.

The Pilot Plant ran batch campaigns and was used to further develop the Hydrofaction^® process while also being able to test feedstocks from across the globe. Significant advances have been made in 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). After the increase in production capacity, the Next-Generation Demonstration Plant will largely be used in the same way the Pilot Plant was.