Japan's Saffaire Sky Energy has acquired an international sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certification and is moving ahead with its domestic SAF manufacturing project in Osaka prefecture, it said in a statement.
Saffaire Sky Energy is a joint venture established in 2022 between Japanese refiner Cosmo Oil, engineering firm JGC, and biodiesel producer Revo International.
Saffaire Sky Energy obtained the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification's (ISCC) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia) in November, it said today, proving the sustainability of its SAF produced at its Sakai plant in Osaka prefecture.
The joint venture plans to complete the construction of the plant by the end of 2024 and then begin a trial run at the beginning of 2025. It targets to generate 30,000 kilolitre/yr (517 b/d) of SAF by using domestic used cooking oil (UCO), with the commercial production to start from the beginning of April 2025-March 2026 fiscal year, likely in April or May, JGC said.
The firm also acquired the ISCC EU certificate for its SAF and bio-naphtha production, showing that it complies with the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II.
Saffaire Sky Energy has already received several inquiries to buy its SAF from companies, JGC added.
It has accelerated its efforts to procure UCO by signing agreements with various organisations within the country, including the city of Sakai in Osaka, city of Kobe in western prefecture Hyogo, leisure and service provider Keikyu and restaurant operator Dining Innovation Investment.
By Nanami Oki
