Hugo Pais Wants to Redefine Fuel through Estonia’s Digital Infrastructure

Hugo Pais, CEO of Alfabrent, has begun to attract international attention for his attempt to modernise one of Europe’s most established industries. His profile was recently featured on the official blog of Estonia’s e-Residency programme, and in 2025 he was included in Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in the Energy category.

Alfabrent, the company he founded, operates in the B2C and B2B fuel markets in Portugal and Spain, supplying several million litres of fuel annually. Despite the resilience of the fuel trade, Pais has observed a structural shift in customer behaviour. Both private individuals and corporate clients are increasingly sensitive to the environmental consequences of their consumption, and demand for options that contribute to a lower-carbon economy has grown steadily.

In response, Alfabrent is preparing to launch a digital platform designed to integrate carbon offsetting into everyday transactions. Customers will be able to add a small surcharge when refuelling, the proceeds of which will be directed towards certified carbon credit projects worldwide. These may include large-scale reforestation, renewable energy investments or biodiversity preservation schemes. Importantly, the platform itself will not perform offsetting activities directly; rather, it will act as an intermediary, simplifying access to existing international markets for carbon credits and making the process more transparent and accessible.

The new entity will be headquartered in Estonia, established under the country’s e-Residency framework. Estonia was chosen for its advanced digital infrastructure, efficient regulatory environment and its reputation as a European leader in digital governance. The platform’s initial market entry will target Portugal and Germany, where consumer demand for climate-conscious solutions is particularly strong, but its scope is intended to extend across the wider European market, offering access to both Alfabrent customers and external users.

Pais argues that fossil fuels, though subject to increasing political and environmental scrutiny, will remain a component of Europe’s energy mix for the foreseeable future. Their continued use, he contends, will depend on whether companies can integrate them into a broader framework of environmental accountability. Estonia’s digital systems, he suggests, provide a model for how a conservative, long-standing sector can be connected to contemporary sustainability goals in a practical and scalable way.

For Estonia, the project illustrates the global reach of its e-Residency programme, which has attracted thousands of entrepreneurs seeking to manage borderless digital businesses. For the fuel sector, it signals an attempt to bridge the gap between continuity and transition: maintaining supply in a vital market while aligning with European targets for carbon reduction and climate neutrality.

The initiative also highlights the broader challenges facing Europe’s energy sector, which must balance security of supply, affordability and decarbonisation. By situating the venture in Estonia and focusing on Portugal and Germany as a first market, Pais is positioning Alfabrent at the intersection of traditional fuel distribution and the digital economy. Whether this model can achieve scale remains to be seen, but it reflects the growing pressure on long-established industries to adapt to a period of accelerating change.