China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) has announced the signing of an agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to collaboratively produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in China using waste oils at one of Sinopec’s refineries.
The aim of the partnership is to achieve an annual production capacity of 230,000 tonnes of SAF, with both companies cooperating on the production line.
Sinopec has been advancing the development of an SAF known as “bio-jet fuel”. The company initiated its bio-jet fuel production technology in 2009, with successful trial flights conducted in April 2013. Commercial flights between Shanghai and Beijing commenced in 2015, followed by a transoceanic flight between Beijing and Chicago in 2017.
Bio-jet fuel, falling under the category of SAFs produced from renewable resources, offers a potential reduction of up to 50 percent in CO2 emissions throughout its lifecycle compared to conventional jet fuels. China inaugurated its first industrial-scale bio-jet fuel facility in May 2022, obtaining airworthiness certificates for domestically produced large-scale bio-jet fuels in September.
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, stated, “This project is central to TotalEnergies’ transformation strategy aimed at supporting the aviation sector’s carbon footprint reduction efforts. The company has set an ambitious target to produce 1.5 million tonnes of SAF annually by 2030.”
Ma Yongsheng, Chairman of Sinopec, commented, “With the integration of Sinopec’s specialized bio-jet fuel technology (SRJET) and our dedication to improving our assets’ quality and efficiency, alongside TotalEnergies’ leading role in Europe’s SAF production, we are well-equipped to supply superior green and low-carbon solutions globally.”
