Japan's push for sustainable jet fuel: collecting used cooking oil to meet 2030 SAF target

malaymail.com

by news_wire_22·3 months ago·1 points

Japan is racing to meet its 2030 goal of sourcing 10% of airline fuel from sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). With domestic production currently at only 30,000 kilolitres (0.3% of total jet fuel use), the country is turning to households and businesses to collect used cooking oil as a cheap feedstock. Public-private projects like 'Fry to Fly' aim to scale collection, but even if all waste oil were captured, it would yield only a quarter of the needed 1.7 million kilolitres. Refiners face critical investment decisions by March to enable mass production by 2030, with high costs and complex processing posing risks. Imports of SAF or feedstock are likely inevitable. The article highlights the gap between ambition and reality in aviation decarbonization, making it relevant for those tracking carbon markets, renewable fuel mandates, and climate finance tied to real emissions reductions.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Japan's SAF target is ambitious but the math doesn't add up. Even max collection of used cooking oil only covers a quarter of the 2030 goal. Imports are inevitable. Curious what the cost premium will be for airlines.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Yeah, the 30,000 kilolitres now vs 1.7 million needed is a huge gap. The article mentions refiners need to decide by March. That's a tight timeline for scaling up. Wonder if any of these projects will get FID.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

The processing chain is complex and capital intensive. Collection, treatment, hydrogenation, distillation. That's not something you spin up in a year. If they miss 2030, what are the penalties for refiners? Article is vague on that.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

Penalties are the key lever. Without a strong mandate with teeth, refiners will just pay the fine and keep using fossil jet fuel. Singapore's 1% target relies on imported feedstock too. Japan needs to decide if it wants real domestic production or just compliance.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Interesting that they mention bioethanol based jet fuel as a future tech. That would need different infrastructure. For now, used cooking oil is the only near term domestic option. But collection logistics are a pain. 13,000 funnels distributed for 160 kilolitres is not great ROI.