Japanese engineering firm JGC, refiner Cosmo Oil and biodiesel producer Revo International have set up a joint venture to produce and supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the country.
Saffaire Sky Energy, with JGC and Cosmo each holding 48pc and Revo 4pc, was set up on 1 November to produce 30,000 kilolitre/yr (517 b/d) of SAF from domestic used cooking oil (UCO).
The SAF plant will be built at Cosmo's Sakai refinery in Osaka, with a start-up from September 2024. The plant will also produce bionaphtha, which is a feedstock for bioplastics, as well as biodiesel.
The three companies began a study in 2020 on setting up a domestic SAF supply chain. They also have been working with Kansai Airports to collect UCO.
Japan's land and transport ministry in December last year set a target of 10pc SAF use by domestic airlines by 2030. It forecasts the country's SAF demand to reach 2.5mn-5.6mn kl/yr by 2030 and 23mn kl/yr by 2050.
