Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announces India’s plan for a national policy on Sustainable Aviation Fuel to boost green aviation and meet global goals.
As he emphasized India’s exceptional position as an agricultural powerhouse to meet the growing demand for the fuel worldwide, Minister for Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu announced that the government will soon develop a national policy on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
The term “SAF” describes aviation fuel that comes from non-fossil sources.
In order to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the world’s aviation safety body, wants to cut CO2 emissions in international aviation by 5% by 2030. India has also set goals to incorporate SAF into its international flights, with a 1% blend by 2027, a 2% blend by 2028, and a 5% blend by 2030 as part of the ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) program.
The Minister stated at a FICCI event that the current worldwide demand for SAF is 2 million tons, and by 2040, that amount will increase to 183 million tons. “India, a major agricultural powerhouse with more than 750 million tons of available biomass, has the potential to lead the world in SAF production.”
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According to the Minister, India possesses sufficient manufacturing capability and an excess of 213 million tons of agricultural leftovers. By 2027, India will need 30 million liters to reach the 1% SAF blending target, and by 2028, it would need 62 million liters to reach the 2% target. A total of 70 million liters of oil can be produced annually by domestic oil producing enterprises.
“In SAF, we are on track to meet domestic demand and even become a global production player.”
A Joint Study Agreement (JSA) was signed between European aerospace giant Airbus and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) to initiate a research and development program aimed at turning municipal solid waste into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in order to promote innovation in this area.