Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

Indian Oil’s Panipat refinery has become the first in India to be certified to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel from used cooking oil.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), also known as ‘aviation biofuel’, shares similar chemical and physical characteristics with Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
It can be sourced from municipal solid waste, oils and fats (such as oilseeds and algae oils), agricultural residues (including Sugarcane bagasse, husk, and corn), and wood wastes.
It can also be produced artificially using a method that collects carbon out of the air.

Green energy: With the Aviation Sector accounting for 2.5% global GHG emissions, SAF can reduce them by 80% in the future. Then it can decarbonise aviation by up to 60%, enabling an energy transition.
Adoption: SAF can be adopted without making any modifications to existing aircraft engine designs or fuel infrastructure.
Cleaner Skies: SAF produces significantly less particulate matter, and hence, clouds formed from condensation are cleaner. Thus, it mitigates the existing issue of soot and NOx emissions from ATF.
Imports: India’s massive potential in SAF can reduce dependence on imports for ATF and can shield from price fluctuation.
Affordability & Accessibility: Being Atmanirbharta in the aviation sector can make air travel less costly and reach various sections of society.

High Cost: Production cost of SAF is double that of the conventional fuel.
Infrastructure: Production, Storage, and supply require the installation of new infrastructure.
Feedstock: Issue of year-round availability of the feedstock source.

Global Player: India is a part of CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) Programme and launched the Global Biofuel Alliance at the G20 in 2023 to expedite the adoption of biofuels and SAF
National Policy: Instead of following global goals, India has its own nationally determined targets that it is progressively implementing. e.g., the SAF blending target of 5% by 2030 and up to 15% by 2040.
Source: Nearly 500MT of Agricultural residue in India is an added advantage. (MNRE).

The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) requires airlines to offset emissions growth after 2020, encouraging SAF use for compliance.

Global partnerships: Strengthening alliances globally, like WEF’s ‘Skies for Tomorrow’, providing financial support.
Production Cost: Cutting production cost by Tax Incentives and PPP models.
Innovation: Investing in R&D in green energy with academia and private entities.