IATA’s blueprint for accelerating SAF production and adoption

Jun 6, 2024

Preeti Jain from IATA discusses the challenges of scaling up sustainable aviation fuel production to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. She emphasizes the need for increased SAF plants, policy support, and collaboration among stakeholders. Jain sees potential in leveraging existing refinery infrastructure and expects SAF costs to decline over time. Her strategy involves feedstocks, technology, policy support, and partnerships to overcome challenges and accelerate SAF adoption.

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INSIGHT

SAF Supply Lags Demand Challenge

The biggest challenge for SAF adoption is the supply lagging behind growing demand despite strong policy signals.
Scaling requires addressing feedstock integration, high capital costs, and lack of financing to build more production plants.

INSIGHT

Complexities of SAF Feedstocks

Feedstock sustainability is crucial and must be geographically and technologically rationalized.
HEFA feedstock is limited and emerging feedstocks like biomass and municipal waste require technology deployment to scale.

ADVICE

Leverage Incentives and Expertise

Governments must provide strong financial incentives to SAF like they did for renewables to drive production.
Energy companies’ expertise and infrastructure are critical to scaling SAF at affordable costs.

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In our first-ever bilingual episode, we talk to Preeti Jain, Head of Net Zero Transition Program at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Jain provides an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities in scaling up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help aviation achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

The interview is presented in two parts: English followed by Hindi.

Jain discusses the current SAF landscape, highlighting the stark mismatch between demand and supply. Emphasising the need for greater SAF production, she estimates that a 1000-fold increase is required by 2050, amounting to roughly 300 new SAF plants each year. This rapid scale-up, however, is hindered by several challenges: inconsistent policy support, high capital costs and under-developed feedstock supply chains.

IATA’s strategy for overcoming these challenges involves a multi-pronged approach focusing on feedstocks, technology development, policy support, and collaboration across stakeholders. Jain emphasises the need for policies that encourage SAF production and adoption, and commends the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard as good examples. She sees potential in leveraging existing refinery infrastructure for SAF production, and expects SAF’s cost to decline over time as more facilities are deployed and technologies mature.

Jain also discusses the potential for SAF to deliver benefits beyond emissions reductions, such as improved energy security and rural economic development, particularly in emerging economies with large agricultural sectors. She also emphasises the critical role of collaboration across the aviation industry, governments, and civil society to build a thriving SAF ecosystem.

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversation we had with IATA’s SVP Sustainability & Chief Economist Marie Owens Thomsen. Check it out here.

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

Our Commitment to Fly Net Zero by 2050 - IATA

SAF Offtake Agreements - ICAO

SAF Deployment - IATA

Net Zero Roadmaps - IATA

Domestic air passenger traffic likely touched 15.4 crore in 2023-24: Report - The Economic Times

How IATA envisions merging economics and sustainability in aviation - SimpliFlying