Chile announces SAF roadmap, targets production facility by 2030

Chile announced the country’s sustainable aviation fuel ‘SAF Roadmap 2030’ with plans to begin production by 2030 while setting a target to use 50% of jet fuel made from oils, fats, and biological and municipal waste by 2050.

The roadmap was announced by Fernanda Cabañas, program coordinator for Chile’s public-private “Clean Flight” initiative, at an aviation conference in Santiago, Chile. The initiative is targeting to develop a large-scale SAF production facility operational by 2030.

This domestic source of fuel is crucial as air traffic is predicted to double by 2040.

SAF is currently more expensive than traditional jet fuel due to limited production and costly methods. To address this, Chile’s initiative looks to collaborate with local forestry, agriculture, and hydrogen industries to explore potential solutions.

Moreover, at the conference, Concepcion University’s bioenergy department representatives also said that they working on technology to produce SAF in the country.

A comprehensive study on the long-term viability and economic feasibility of large-scale SAF production in Chile is also underway to produce the country’s first batch of SAF within the next six months.