Thailand’s GC to enter SAF market

Thai petrochemical arm of the national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Global Chemical (GC) Plc announced plans to enter the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market.

The company aims to produce biofuel for aircraft next year to support the global campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

GC’s new biofuel refinery is scheduled to conduct trial production runs of SAF from used cooking oil in December before commencing commercial operations next year.

The company plans to produce 500,000 liters of SAF per month, using up to 1,700 tonnes of used cooking oil a month. The company expects to source domestically sufficient used cooking oil to meet its production requirements, but will also work with its Japanese and Singaporean partners to purchase additional supplies if needed.

In addition to used cooking oil, GC is conducting a feasibility study of other raw materials, such as ethanol produced from sugar and cassava, for the production of SAF. Biofuels, including gasohol and SAF, are expected to generate new investment worth nearly 114bn baht ($3.39bn) in the oil sector over the next 13 years as Thailand shifts towards cleaner fuels for all forms of transport.

SAF production is part of GC’s plan to put a greater focus on producing bio-based materials that are feedstocks for products used daily, stemming from a variety of business sectors ranging from food and beverages to medicine and body care.

Energy conglomerate Bangchak Corporation announced its plans to produce SAF in 2025. Bangchak Corporation, in partnership with Bangkok Aviation Fuel Services (BAFS) and BAFS Pipeline Transportation (BPT), has successfully initiated a pilot project to deliver sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via pipeline to Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang International Airports.