SAF | India | Insight

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) using indigenous feedstock, “Make in India” technology is a major step towards self-reliance and de-carbonization of the aviation sector:   -In a significant development towards decarbonizing of the aviation sector, India’s first commercial passenger flight using an indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend was successfully flown. Air Asia flight (I5 767) flew from Pune to Delhi powered by SAF blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) produced by Praj Industries Ltd by using indigenous feedstock, supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. and used by Air Asia. This was the first domestic commercial passenger flight with SAF blending up to 1% as demonstration mode. -By 2025, the target to blend 1% SAF blending in Jet fuel, India would require around 14 crore litre of SAF/annum. More ambitiously, if we target for 5% SAF blend, India requires around 70 crore litre of SAF/ annum. In recent years SAF production technology has progressed significantly. – – – -Unlike traditional jet fuels, SAF is produced from renewable sources such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, and forestry residues. This means that SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. -The Civil Aviation sector in India consumes around 8 million tons of ATF and emitted around 20 million tons of GHGs in 2019. India has feedstock for potential production of 19 to 24 million tons of SAF per year, whereas the estimated maximum requirement of SAF in India, considering 50% blend, is around 8 to 10 million tons per year by 2030. -Using Indigenous biological feedstock (Sugarcane molasses) will boost the rural economy and help farmers get additional income. By 1% SAF blending, more than 5 lakh farmers get benefitted by supplying sugarcane as feedstock. Additionally, more than 1 lakh green jobs will be generated.