More SAF Production Plans Emerge Globally

Aemetis
Aemetis will use renewable energy and CO2 sequestration to reduce the carbon intensity of its SAF.
Credit: Aemetis

The accelerating trend in offtake agreement and production plans for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) continues, with new initiatives to establish plants in Sweden and Thailand.

South Africa’s Sasol ecoFT has signed a letter with Swedish energy company Uniper and the municipality of Solleftea to investigate the possibility of establishing an industrial-scale SAF production facility under the SkyFuelH2 joint venture.

The ambition is to produce SAF using green hydrogen and carbon from biomass using Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch technology. The selected site at Langsele near Solleftea has access to renewable electricity and forest biomass. 

In Thailand, energy company Bangchak Group has signed an MOU with biofuel producer BBGI and palm oil producer Thanachok Oil Light in preparation for construction of a plant within an existing petroleum refinery to produce SAF from used cooking oil.

In the U.S., meanwhile, Aemetis has secured another airline customer for a plant being built in Riverbank, California, to produce SAF from renewable hydrogen and orchard waste. JetBlue Airways has signed an offtake agreement valued at $530 million for 125 million gal. of 40% blended SAF over 10 years.

Aemetis has previously announced agreements with eight Oneworld Alliance member airlines for a total of 350 million gal. of 40% blended SAF to be delivered to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) over seven years beginning in 2024. Delta Air Lines has signed an offtake agreement for 250 million gal. over 10 years.
 

Graham Warwick

Graham leads Aviation Week's coverage of technology, focusing on engineering and technology across the aerospace industry, with a special focus on identifying technologies of strategic importance to aviation, aerospace and defense.