Eni Launches SAF Production

Eni Launches SAF Production
Eni SAFs are produced exclusively from waste and residues.

Eni (NYSE: E) has announced that it has launched the production of alternative sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which it says will significantly contribute to the decarbonization of aviation in the short to medium term.

Eni SAFs are produced exclusively from waste and residues, in line with the company’s strategic decision not to use palm oil from 2023, Eni noted. The company is aiming to reach a production capacity of at least 500,000 tons per year of the so called biojet by 2030.

Initially, SAF is being produced at the Eni refinery in Taranto, Eni outlined. The product, already available in Taranto refinery tanks, will be sold to major airlines, Eni revealed.

The company highlighted that its SAF development is part of its commitment to the decarbonization of all its products and processes by 2050 for all sectors, including what it calls some of the most challenging, such as the aviation, heavy vehicles and marine sectors.

“This is a very important milestone in our journey to decarbonize and fully reflects our pragmatic approach to the energy transition,” Claudio Descalzi, Eni’s chief executive officer, said in a company statement.

“This approach involves using technology to cut emissions in sectors such as aviation, which are high emitters but at the same time need to be nurtured because they are crucial to growth and development,” Descalzi added in the statement.

“We are committed to being a technological leader in the energy transition, leveraging existing skills and assets, and this is a further step in that direction, as well as an important contribution at system level,” the Eni CEO went on to say.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SAF can reduce emissions by up to 80 percent during its full lifecycle. Over 370,000 flights have taken to the skies using SAF since 2016 and more than 45 airlines now have experience with SAF, IATA highlights on its website.

In November last year, IATA called on governments worldwide to support the development of SAF as a critical step to achieving its target to cut net emissions to half 2005 levels by 2050. 

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com


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