Chile plans on setting up world’s first large-scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) factory

Chile is planning on developing SAF

Chile is taking the lead in  Aviation Sustainability and planning to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in a major facility by 2030. The Aviation sector acts as a major source of greenhouse gases, contributing towards speeding up climate change worldwide. Every year, the aviation sector contributes about 2-3% of the world’s CO2 emissions and it’s high time to focus on finding eco- friendly ways to fly.

Chile is planning on developing SAF using Oils, fats ,municipal and biological waste to meet its aviation needs by 2050. SAF is can be an affective alternative to Jet fuel as it shares the same chemical properties but acts as a cleaner substitute for fossil fuels. While jet fuel comes from crude oil, SAF is crafted from renewable sources like agricultural and municipal waste, as well as forestry leftovers.

At the aviation conference in Santiago, Fernanda Cabañas, the program coordinator for Chile’s collaborative “Clean Flight” project, revealed the “2050 SAF Roadmap” report. This initiative vision focuses towards making Chile’s Aviation industry completely carbon-neutral and significant step for Aviation fuel evolution.

By 2040, Chile air traffic is expected to increase exponentially, the report talks about the importance of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in coming years to help them achieve the country’s decarbonisation targets. SAF can be blended with regular jet fuel, cutting emissions by as much as 80% without requiring any modifications to the engines.

According to Cabañas “More than 50% of carbon emissions reductions are going to be done through SAF,it plays a predominant role in our net zero goals.” However, the figures relating to production from the factory in 2023  are not precise at the moment. Cabanas also shed some light on the industry challenges as well like low supply and costly production hinting towards how SAF will be three to five times pricier than regular jet fuel, according to an Economic Times report.

Cabañas mentioned that there’s intense competition in the area for SAF sources. Airlines are eager to buy sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to fulfil their sustainability objectives. However, the limited supply and expensive production methods result in SAF costing three to five times more than regular jet fuel. She also talked about the possibility of collaborating with local agriculture and forest representatives and hydrogen industries to assess the amount of raw materials they can provide. More detailed research regarding how much sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Chile can produce and from which sources will be available in approximately six months.

Meanwhile, The United States is also planning to shift their focus over towards green flying & producing SAF. President Joe Biden’s administration is going  to introduce SAF subsidies as a  prototype which will be tested and modified through time. The US is providing subsidies to ramp up SAF production to 3 billion gallons, a huge leap from the current 15.8 million gallons. 

In conclusion, this significant step taken by Chile to promote green fuel in flying sector is hopefully going to stir up a conversation and inspire help other countries to shift their focus on more sustainable ways to fly .

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