SINGAPORE – The first batch of blended sustainable aviation fuel to be used on all Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flights departing from Changi Airport was loaded into the airport’s fuel system on Thursday (July 7).
This is part of a one-year pilot announced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), SIA and GenZero, a Temasek-owned investment platform, last year.
The joint statement by the three parties said besides the process of blending, certification and delivery of sustainable aviation fuel to Changi Airport, the trial will also provide insights into the end-to-end cost components, potential pricing structures to recover cost, as well as support future policy consideration for the deployment of such fuels.
Under the pilot, 1,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel will be supplied by Neste, an oil refining company that has manufacturing set-ups in Finland, the Netherlands and Singapore.
The product by Neste is made from used cooking oil and waste animal fats. This is blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s Singapore facility before being transported to Changi Airport.
The use of the blended fuel over the one-year trial is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 2,500 tonnes.
Senior vice-president for corporate planning at SIA, Ms Lee Wen Fen, said the inaugural delivery of the sustainable fuel is an important milestone in its decarbonisation journey.
According to the International Air Transport Association, commercial aviation is responsible for 2 per cent to 3 per cent of global carbon emissions.
In 2021, SIA Group committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The company announced then that its airlines will achieve this target with several measures including investing in new-generation planes, adopting sustainable fuels and sourcing for high-quality carbon offsets.
Sustainable aviation fuels are said to cost significantly more than conventional jet fuels.
As part of the pilot, CAAS, Temasek and SIA have also started selling 1,000 units of sustainable aviation fuel credits as a way to bring down the higher cost. Each credit represents 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, bringing the total to 2,500 tonnes.
Customers, including corporate and individual travellers, as well as freight forwarders, will be able to purchase these credits to offset their own carbon footprint while contributing to the development of the sustainable aviation fuel industry.
From the last quarter of 2022, SIA customers will be able to buy a mix of such fuel credits and carbon credits as part of the airline’s voluntary carbon offset programme.
On its part, ExxonMobil has a global plan to provide 200,000 barrels of lower-emission fuels – which include sustainable aviation type – daily by 2030.
This content was originally published here.