Total to begin supplying SAF to French airports in April

London (Quantum Commodity Intelligence) - French energy major Total has started production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and will begin supplying French airports this month, the company announced Thursday.

The development of SAF is a key element of Total's wider plan for the energy transition and the pursuit of zero carbon emissions and also follows a French directive for aircraft to use at least 1% biojet fuel by 2022, 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.

While the aviation industry is responsible for a significant share of global emissions, solutions for other transport modes such as electrification and hydrogen cells remain unsuitable for aircraft, leaving drop-in replacement fuel SAF as the most viable way to reduce the carbon footprint.

"By producing sustainable aviation fuel at our French sites today, we are able to respond to strong demand from an aviation industry looking to reduce its carbon footprint, while adapting our industrial resources," said Bernard Pinatel, President of Refining & Chemicals at Total. 

Total will produce SAF at its La Mède biorefinery in southern France, which also produces hydrotreated vegetable oil biodiesel, as well as at its Oudalle facility near Le Havre.

They will also have the ability to produce SAF at their Grandpuits facility near Paris starting in 2024, which will operate entirely without crude oil inputs and will also produce renewable diesel and naphtha.

Only used cooking oil, animal fats and other wastes will be used to produce its SAF, said the company.

This will add to demand for sustainable waste products from a circular economy that is already creaking under current requirements and is facing a ramp-up in consumption heading towards the 2030s as Europe's energy companies implement their energy transition strategies.