SATORP refinery converts UCO to SAF in Saudi Arabia

An employee overlooking SATORP refinery.

SATORP, a joint venture between Aramco and TotalEnergies, has successfully converted used cooking oil (UCO) into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that has been certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC+).

“This project at SATORP is part of TotalEnergies’ aim to produce 1.5m tons per annum of SAF by 2030. SAF is essential to reducing the emissions of air transport, and its development is fully-aligned with the company’s climate ambition to get to net zero by 2050, together with society,” Francois Good, senior vice president at TotalEnergies.

This is the first time that UCO has been converted into SAF in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The SAF was produced using SATORP’s Low-Pressure Hydrodesulphurization Unit (LPHDS).

The fuel meets all product quality parameters within the SAF specifications.

SATORP is a joint venture between Aramco (62.5%) and TotalEnergies (37.5%).

The refinery is located in Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia.