Japan’s Saffaire starts supplying SAF to Japan Airlines

Spanish Market: Biofuels
02/05/25

Japanese sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) joint venture Saffaire Sky Energy has started supplying its SAF to Japan Airlines (JAL). This is the company's first SAF delivery to an airline.

Saffaire is a joint venture launched by Japanese engineering firm JGC, refiner Cosmo Oil and biodiesel producer Revo International. The delivery of SAF to a passenger flight marks a full-fledged launch of a supply chain that enables the continuous mass-production and supply of SAF in Japan, JGC and JAL announced on 1 May.

The JAL plane was fuelled with Saffaire's SAF at Kansai International Airport in western Japan's Osaka, and departed to Shanghai, China, on 1 May. Saffaire will continue to supply SAF to JAL and start supplying SAF to other airlines as well, JGC told Argus.

Saffaire supplied SAF to Japan Air Self-Defense Force in April. It announced plans to start delivery to domestic airlines JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA), the US' Delta Air Lines, Finland's Finnair, Taiwan's Starlux Airlines and German logistics group DHL Express in the 2025 fiscal year.

JGC also announced a plan on 24 April to start supplying Saffaire's SAF to Taiwan's Eva Air in the 2025 fiscal year.

Saffaire operates Japan's first large-scale SAF plant in Cosmo's Sakai refinery in Osaka, with a production capacity of around 30,000 kilolitres/yr. Saffaire uses used cooking oil (UCO) as feedstock for SAF.

By Kohei Yamamoto

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03/12/25

Idemitsu, Kanematsu start biofuel supply for ships

Osaka, 3 December (Argus) — Japanese refiner Idemitsu and trading house Kanematsu have started supplying biofuel mixed with fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) for oceangoing ships, to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the maritime sector, the companies said today. In October, Idemitsu began bunkering cleaner fuel oil, which includes up to 24pc of Fame, for oceangoing ships, using Kanematsu' storage and shipping facilities in southern Japan's Kokura, a spokesperson at Idemitsu told Argus on 3 December. Under this partnership, Kanematsu procures Fame and blends it with fuel oil supplied by Idemitsu. The Fame mixture will cut GHG emissions by around 20pccompared with conventional fuel, Kanematsu said. Idemitsu aims to deliver a total of 5,000t of bio-blended fuel by March 2026, including supply for domestic vessels. This is equivalent to the amount of fuel consumed by a 300,000 dwt vessel during about 50 days of operation, the company added. The start of their commercial operations comes after Idemitsu's demonstration in northern Hokkaido , where it tested bunkering operations for coastal vessels with fuel containing 24pc Fame in 2023-24. Idemitsu is also gearing up to develop a supply chain for low-carbon methanol for vessels, aiming to start methanol bunkering from the April 2026-March 2027 fiscal year. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Asia-Pacific bio-bunkers: B30 firms in Singapore

02/12/25

Asia-Pacific bio-bunkers: B30 firms in Singapore

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UK to recommend countervailing duty on US HVO

28/11/25

UK to recommend countervailing duty on US HVO

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Petrobras cuts spending in updated 5-year plan

28/11/25

Petrobras cuts spending in updated 5-year plan

Sao Paulo, 28 November (Argus) — Brazilian state-controlled Petrobras cut its spending plans by $7bn to $91bn in its 2026-2030 business plan, it said on Thursday. Petrobras outlined $109bn in overall capital spending in the current plan, down from $111bn in the previous five-year plan . The firm envisages $69.2bn in upstream spending over the next five years, of which around 62pc — about $42.6bn — is earmarked for pre-salt assets and $7.1bn for exploration. The figures represent an overall decrease from the $77.3bn in the previous plan. Pre-salt assets increased its share in the spending from 60pc, but their investments decreased from $46bn in the 2025-29 plan. Petrobras set $18bn to its evaluation portfolio. Of the total, $9bn will go for upstream activities, $5bn for refining and other activities, and $5bn for natural gas and low-carbon initiatives. 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EU readies new bioenergy strategy

26/11/25

EU readies new bioenergy strategy

Brussels, 26 November (Argus) — The European Commission is today expected to adopt a new strategy aimed at boosting "nature-positive" investment and making better use of biomass. The latest version of the strategy seen by Argus deleted wording from a previous leaked draft that mentioned disincentivising "inefficient" biomass combustion, including changes to EU and national subsidies to avoid prioritising combustion over material use. Industry groups last month had criticised the previous draft strategy for "punishing" biomass combustion and ignoring the role of sustainable biofuels. The commission may still amend the current strategy document, which sets out a direction for policies but is not itself a legal proposal. Demand for biofuels will likely rise from 2025, in part thanks to the bloc's ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU initiatives, but sustainable biomass remains finite and its use is most effective in hard-to-abate sectors, the commission said in the document. The commission wants to add value to energy, industry, food, health and other sectors through biomass processing and biotechnology. The body said it would, for example, support uptake of bio-based plastics and novel materials by 2027 alongside recycling. Officials could also assess whether EU-wide definitions could support certification and scaling of bio-based polymers. And an EU methodology could certify long-lasting biogenic carbon storage in buildings under the carbon removal and carbon farming certification framework. The commission will issue legislation such as the upcoming BioTech Acts to bolster industrial production of bio-based chemicals and may target bio-based content requirements in some products. In the strategy, the commission and the European Investment Bank will use finance instruments to support biorefineries that incorporate new technologies. And a forthcoming Circular Economy Act aims to support biogas and biomethane production as well as using digestate as a fertiliser. A review next year of the bloc's emissions trading system will also explore potential for scalable biogenic carbon, capture, use and storage projects. The EU is also scheduled to review its Renewable Energy Directive by 2027 and assess how national biomass support schemes affect biodiversity. Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Japan’s Saffaire starts supplying SAF to Japan Airlines

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