Da Nang: The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) highlighted ethanol’s potential role in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production during the Asia Sustainable Aviation Fuel Association’s Innovation & Policy Summit held in Da Nang, Vietnam, in May.
The Council’s delegation was led by Chris Markey, Deputy Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Oceania, along with Regional Ethanol Consultant Kent Yeo and Vietnam Representative Tran Trong Nghia, Ethanol Producer Magazine reported.
According to Markey, the summit brought together more than 70 organisations along with regulators and policymakers from Vietnam’s ethanol sector, including representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Construction and Ministry of Science and Technology. He said the event created opportunities to engage with stakeholders shaping the future of ethanol and SAF development in Vietnam.
The summit also drew Vietnamese and international users of U.S. ethanol, including gasoline blending companies, traders and regional energy firms.
During the discussions, the USGBC team presented the potential of the alcohol-to-jet pathway for SAF production. The presentation focused on global and regional developments, feedstock availability and opportunities for Vietnam to expand the use of its growing ethanol sector beyond gasoline into aviation and marine fuels.
Vietnam’s aviation market has expanded rapidly over the past decade, with passenger traffic rising by more than 120 per cent between 2014 and 2024. Industry participants noted that continued growth in air travel, combined with Vietnam’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and mandatory compliance with CORSIA from January 2027, is expected to increase the importance of sustainable aviation fuel in the country’s transport strategy.
The Council said Vietnam’s feedstock availability and multiple demand centres position the country to develop a competitive SAF industry capable of serving both domestic and regional markets.
Policy support is also expected to strengthen ethanol demand. Vietnam’s planned introduction of an E10 requirement for RON95 gasoline will build on the E5 RON92 programme introduced in 2018. Once implemented, all gasoline grades sold in the country are expected to contain ethanol, generating estimated annual fuel ethanol demand of around 240 million gallons.
Markey said Southeast Asia’s fast-growing economies and expanding aviation sector make the region an important market for positioning U.S. ethanol as a feedstock option for future SAF demand.
