SAF blending mandates for domestic flights likely only after global mandates take effect in 2027

SAF is simply a biofuel that is produced from sustainable feedstocks and has chemistry akin to accepted ATF oregon pitchy fuel, which is derived from crude oil. This means that existing craft engines tin easy usage the SAF-ATF blend. For instance, Airbus claims that each its craft are susceptible of flying connected a maximum 50 per cent blend of SAF and accepted fuel. Various Indian airlines person already operated successfully a fewer trial and objection flights utilizing pitchy substance doped with SAF.

A committee connected SAF constituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) had submitted its recommendations to the authorities past year. According to radical with nonstop cognition of the matter, the sheet had recommended an archetypal SAF blending mandate of 1 per cent from 2025, and scaling it up progressively implicit consequent years. At the time, apical officials astatine the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) arsenic good arsenic the MoPNG—the 2 cardinal ministries dealing with SAF—had indicated that blending mandates could beryllium rolled retired arsenic per these recommendations.

“SAF is highly costly with precocious exertion and accumulation costs. It is not produced astatine standard yet…we consciousness it volition instrumentality a fewer years for the costs to travel down arsenic accumulation increases globally and successful India. The airlines are besides not excessively keen to person a mandate for home flights, until costs stabilise and they person had immoderate acquisition with SAF-blended ATF successful planetary operations…So, 2027 oregon thereafter seems to beryllium the amended choice,” said a authorities official, who did not privation to beryllium identified.

The twelvemonth 2027 volition beryllium an important 1 for adoption of SAF globally with the mandatory signifier of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) kicking in. CORSIA, which applies to planetary flights, would necessitate airlines globally to offset immoderate maturation successful c dioxide emissions beyond the 2020 levels. Using pitchy substance blended with SAF is 1 of the ways done which carriers tin support their emissions nether permissible levels.

India, portion not a subordinate successful the voluntary phases of CORSIA, volition person to comply with the mandatory signifier starting 2027. In enactment with the CORSIA mandate, the National Biofuel Coordination Committee (NBCC) has acceptable the archetypal indicative targets for blending of SAF with pitchy substance 2027 onwards, starting with planetary flights. The indicative targets are: 1 per cent blending successful 2027 and 2 per cent successful 2028.

India is seen arsenic a price-sensitive aviation marketplace and substance accounts for astir 40 per cent of Indian airlines’ operational expenses. This makes the carriers peculiarly cautious and delicate to immoderate fuel-related outgo escalation. It remains to beryllium seen whether the authorities would rotation retired immoderate enactment oregon incentives for airlines and SAF manufacturers to marque the substance affordable.

“High airfares is simply a touchy taxable already and forcing airlines successful the adjacent aboriginal to usage much costly substance could person a further inflationary interaction for summons prices. It is amended to hold for immoderate much clip and cautiously measure the existent outgo escalation that blending of SAF with pitchy substance would pb to,” said different authorities official.

The country’s largest refiner and substance retailer Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is collaborating with Praj Industries to acceptable up an SAF accumulation unit. IOC is besides mounting up an SAF portion astatine its Panipat refinery successful collaboration with sustainable fuels exertion institution LanzaJet. Both these units volition beryllium based connected the alcohol-to-jet substance (ATJ) pathway, which is 1 of the assorted pathways disposable to nutrient the sustainable fuel. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s subsidiary Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals besides plans to physique an SAF portion based connected CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum’s exertion that uses non-edible oils and utilized cooking lipid arsenic feedstock.