Pertamina supplies first SAF to Virgin Australia

Spanish Market: Biofuels
19/09/24

Indonesian state-owned refiner Pertamina has supplied its first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to airline Virgin Australia, as part of the continuing Bali International Air Show.

Pertamina is supplying around 160 kilolitres (kl) of SAF to Virgin Australia's Boeing 737 aircraft from the Ngurah Rai aviation fuel terminal in Bali for flights during 18-19 September. This was part of the 3,500 kl of blended SAF that Pertamina had sought for end-August delivery, intended to be used at the air show. The remaining volumes will be sold to other airlines and sales will be assessed before any further SAF purchases are made, a company source said.

The SAF is a blend of 38.43pc synthetic kerosine produced from used cooking oil (UCO) and 61.57pc fossil jet fuel, said the director of central marketing and commerce at Pertamina Patra Niaga Maya Kusmaya.

Pertamina also has plans to co-process SAF from UCO at its Cilacap refinery next year, before producing SAF by the hydrotreated esters and fatty acids pathway when its Cilacap "green refinery" comes on line, said a company source, although more details have yet to be disclosed.

SAF distributed at Ngurah Rai is also managed using mass balancing, meaning that while jet fuel is mixed with SAF in the same tank as both have similar technical specifications, recording and bookkeeping for both products are managed separately.

Pertamina obtained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Corsia and ISCC EU RED-compliant certification for its SAF last month. The SAF supplied also meets ASTM international standards.

By Sarah Giam

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14/11/25

Australia’s Jet Zero, Townsville port sign biofuels MoU

Sydney, 14 November (Argus) — Australian bioenergy developer Jet Zero and the Port of Townsville have signed an initial agreement to assess the feasibility of developing new biofuel storage and blending infrastructure at Queensland's third-largest port. The biofuels firm and port operator will explore design and construction options for a potential liquid storage facility to support the movement, blending, import and export of sustainable fuels from Jet Zero's nearby proposed Project Ulysses , Jet Zero said on 13 November. Project Ulysses will produce 113mn litres/yr sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD) using the alcohol-to-jet method at north Queensland's Townsville State Development Area, 2km south of the Port of Townsville. Jet Zero recently completed front-end engineering and design with alcohol-to-jet technology provider LanzaJet. The project could produce one-sixth of the domestic airline industry's 2030 SAF commitment, but a date for first output has not been disclosed. Project Ulysses aims to meet mandated and voluntary demand for SAF and RD in the aviation and marine sectors, and the Port of Townsville will play a critical role in facilitating trade and supporting regional industry growth, the companies said. By Grace Dudley Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update

13/11/25

API pitches revamp of biofuel exemptions: Update

Updates throughout New York, 13 November (Argus) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is pitching the White House and biofuel groups on a total revamp of how the US exempts oil companies from a program that requires biofuel blending, according to three people familiar with the lobbying group's work. API recently withdrew its support for a bill that would authorize 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) year-round on its frustrations with changes to biofuel policy this year that oil companies see as too friendly to farmers and to some small refining competitors. The US for instance recently granted small oil refiners generous hardship waivers from a biofuel blend mandate and proposed requiring larger companies to blend more biofuels in future years as an offset. API's pitch — shared at a White House meeting this week — would require that companies seeking program exemptions must show that economic hardship stems directly from the biofuel program, a more stringent requirement than today, according to two of the people familiar with the group's work. Exemptions would also be restricted to companies with limited collective refining capacity, cutting off larger enterprises like Delek and Par Pacific that own multiple small units that qualify now. Smaller companies like Ergon and Kern Oil could still request waivers, but the total pool of potentially exempted gas and diesel volumes would be far lower. The oil group then wants the US to prohibit hiking other oil companies' blend requirements to offset those exemptions, a tougher sell to biofuel and crop groups that fear unchecked program waivers curb demand for their products. Larger merchant refiners that do not qualify for small refinery relief have also long pushed lawmakers for updates to the program and would not benefit from this proposal. API's idea is to pass legislation pairing updates to the small refinery exemption program with year-round authorization of E15, generally prohibited in the summer without emergency waivers because of summertime fuel volatility restrictions that do not apply to typical 10pc ethanol gasoline. That's a top priority for ethanol companies, otherwise at risk from an increasingly efficient and electric light-duty vehicle fleet. Congress last year nearly passed narrower E15 legislation, which API supported at the time but no longer does without more changes. Courts have struck down past attempts by federal officials to authorize E15 without emergency declarations and to drastically restrict biofuel exemption eligibility, likely limiting what President Donald Trump's administration can do without new legislation. API made the pitch to the White House this week, the sources familiar with API's work said. The White House is hosting other groups for meetings on fuel policy, including another one on Thursday on E15 that featured biofuel groups. Officials from across Trump's administration, including the US Department of Agriculture, have attended. "Administration officials hosted listening sessions with biofuel groups, agriculture and oil refiners to discuss their proposals on year-round E15", a source familiar with the matter said. It is not clear that biofuel advocates, insistent that the Trump administration entirely offset the impact of recent refinery exemptions, are open to the attempted compromise. The ethanol group Renewable Fuels Association declined to comment on E15 talks. Regulatory tweaks to boost ethanol supply would also do little on their own to help producers of other biofuels like renewable diesel. API declined to elaborate on what was discussed at any meetings with the Trump administration. "We appreciate the administration's leadership in bringing stakeholders together to advance a practical solution on E15 and small refinery exemption reform", API said. "We look forward to continuing to work together to advance a framework that supports fuel choice, strengthens the refining and agricultural sectors, and helps ensure a stable, reliable supply for American consumers." Under the Renewable Fuel Standard, the US requires oil refiners and importers to annually blend different types of biofuels or buy credits from those that do. The administration is late setting new biofuel quotas for 2026 but is expected to do so in the coming months, kicking off a flurry of last-minute lobbying about future volumes, exemptions and potential cuts to credits from foreign fuels and feedstocks. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

API pitches revamp of small refinery biofuel waivers

13/11/25

API pitches revamp of small refinery biofuel waivers

New York, 13 November (Argus) — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is pitching the White House and biofuel groups on a total revamp of how the US exempts oil companies from a program that requires biofuel blending, according to three people familiar with the lobbying group's work. The API recently withdrew its support for a bill that would authorize 15pc ethanol gasoline (E15) year-round on its frustrations with changes to biofuel policy this year that oil companies see as too friendly to farmers and to some small refining competitors. The US for instance recently granted small oil refiners generous hardship waivers from a biofuel blend mandate and proposed requiring larger companies to blend more biofuels in future years as an offset. API's pitch would require that companies seeking program exemptions must show that economic hardship stems directly from the biofuel program, a more stringent requirement than today, according to two of the people familiar with the group's work. Exemptions would also be restricted to small companies with limited collective refining capacity, cutting off larger enterprises like Delek that own multiple small units that qualify today. The oil group then wants the US to prohibit hiking other oil companies' blend requirements to offset those exemptions, a tougher sell to biofuel and crop groups that fear unchecked program waivers curb demand for their products. Larger independent refiners that do not qualify for small refinery relief have also long pushed lawmakers for updates to the program and would not benefit from this deal. API's idea is to pass legislation pairing updates to the small refinery exemption program with year-round authorization of E15, generally prohibited in the summer without emergency waivers because of summertime fuel volatility restrictions that do not apply to typical 10pc ethanol gasoline. That's a top priority for ethanol companies, otherwise at risk from an increasingly efficient and electric light-duty vehicle fleet. E15 legislation nearly passed Congress last year. API made the pitch to the White House at a meeting this week, the sources familiar with API's work said. The White House is hosting other groups for meetings on fuel policy, including another one today on E15 that will feature biofuel groups. API declined to comment on any meetings with President Donald Trump's administration. "We appreciate the administration's leadership in bringing stakeholders together to advance a practical solution on E15 and small refinery exemption reform", the group said. "We look forward to continuing to work together to advance a framework that supports fuel choice, strengthens the refining and agricultural sectors, and helps ensure a stable, reliable supply for American consumers." By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop: Indonesia targets 1mn kl/yr SAF output by 2030

13/11/25

Cop: Indonesia targets 1mn kl/yr SAF output by 2030

Singapore, 13 November (Argus) — Indonesia aims to maximise its used cooking oil (UCO) potential to achieve over 1mn kilolitres/yr of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) output by 2030, deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia Eddy Soeparno said at the UN Cop 30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil. Indonesia is rich in feedstock resources, but currently only about 23pc of Indonesia's UCO is collected, with the rest discarded or wasted, said Soeparno at the summit on 12 November. By optimising collection systems, Indonesia can mobilise up to 715,000 t/yr of UCO, which would unlock 187,000 kl of SAF-equivalent feedstock, he said. This would also lead to the avoidance of an estimated 500,000 t/yr of CO2 emissions. Through state-owned energy firm Pertamina's green refinery expansion in Central Java and South Sumatra, Indonesia is targeting about 1.114mn kl/yr of SAF output capacity by 2030. Indonesia's projected cumulative SAF demand could reach approximately 860,000 kl/yr by 2039. By this time, with the expanded production capacity, there may be a supply surplus of about 23pc, which could be exported, said Eddy. National strategy Indonesia aims to link feedstocks, refineries and distribution under one co-ordinated framework. The first step is to secure domestic feedstock and guarantee a stable supply for the hydrotreated esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway by implementing a domestic market obligation (DMO) for palm oil by-products such as palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), and prioritising domestic use, said Soeparno. The second step is to scale production through innovation, by using next-generation SAF technology such as alcohol-to-jet and power-to-liquid, in national strategic projects. Lastly, to ensure market availability, it is important for SAF to flow through dedicated jet fuel distribution networks to key airports to guarantee consistency of supply once blending mandates begin. Indonesia plans to implement a 1pc SAF blending target by 2027 at selected airports and on some flights. SAF currently costs 2-3 times more than fossil jet fuel, so Indonesia must take a phased approach to make it more competitive, said Soeparno. In the short term, the country will focus on developing a national pricing and valuation framework such as setting a minimum price floor for SAF, to provide airlines and investors with predictable cost signals. In the medium term, the country will look at industrial competitiveness and scaling demand by moving from voluntary adoption to mandatory blending, beginning with major airports. Indonesia ultimately aims to provide long-term policy certainty for investors by harmonising standards, blending requirements and co-ordination under a unified national roadmap. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

MR freight bookings up ahead of US deployment

12/11/25

MR freight bookings up ahead of US deployment

New York, 12 November (Argus) — Freight rates for refined oil products shipments loading onto medium range (MR) tankers in the US Gulf coast are rising on unusually strong demand from Caribbean and east coast Mexican buyers ahead of the growing US military deployment north of Venezuela. A charterer put an MR tanker on subjects for a US Gulf coast-Caribbean voyage at $875,000 lumpsum on Wednesday, nearly doubling from a near six-month low hit on 5 November at $440,000. Charterers put at least 18 MR tankers on subjects for US Gulf coast-loading voyages on 11 November alone, an exceptionally high amount of physical activity for the region and representing nearly 6mn bl of refined product demand from a single trading day. For comparison, the US Gulf coast exported 2.3mn b/d refined products in August, according to US Energy Information Administration data. The "majority of" these voyages were for "short-haul runs", according to a shipbroker. Buyers throughout the region may be concerned about supply disruptions if US military operations offshore Venezuela and Colombia escalate. The US Navy confirmed that the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group reached Caribbean waters on 11 November, and that the strike group was comprised of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, two guided-missile destroyers and an integrated air and missile defense command ship. The carrier group is joining an amphibious ready group (ARG) that had been sitting southeast of Puerto Rico since 2 September, according to the US Navy's fleet tracker. The ARG is comprised of flagship USS Iwo Jima and two amphibious transport dock ships, the stated mission of which is to "safely embark Marines ashore". US president Donald Trump has suggested that airstrikes on Venezuela are a possibility ahead of the build-up of US naval forces in the region. The military operation is ostensibly focused on striking designated narco-terrorists in international waters, which the Pentagon said it has done seven times off the coast of Venezuela and twice near Colombia's Pacific coast by late October. Meanwhile, Colombian president Gustavo Petro announced the end of intelligence sharing with the US on Wednesday. Petro has called the US attacks on boats operating within Caribbean waters illegal. Colombia's Pozos Colorados port was the third most active destination port for US Gulf coast-loading refined products in the last 12 months, behind only the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Tuxpan on Mexico's east coast, according to Vortexa data. Buyers in Pozos imported 3pc of all US Gulf coast-loading products in that time, averaging 82,000 b/d. Caribbean buyers are the single largest drivers of demand by shipping region for US Gulf coast refined product exports, averaging a plurality of 22.2pc of all shipments at 580,200 b/d in the last 12 months, according to Vortexa. A flare-up in military activity and potential US strikes on mainland targets launched from the region could further disrupt flows to Panama, Bahamas, Honduras and Costa Rica among other countries in the region. By Ross Griffith Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Pertamina supplies first SAF to Virgin Australia

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