French oil giant Total has started producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its La Mède biorefinery in southern France and its Oudalle facility near Le Havre, the company announced on 8 April.
The biojet fuel, made from used cooking oil (UCO), was expected to be delivered to French airports from this month.
From 2024, Total was also expecting to produce SAF at its zero-crude Grandpuits platform, southeast of Paris.
All Total’s SAF would be made from animal fat, UCO and other waste and residues sourced from the circular economy without the use of vegetable oils as feedstock, the company said.
New legislation in France calls for aircraft to use at least 1% biojet fuel by 2022, 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.
“By producing sustainable aviation fuel at our French sites today, we are able to respond to strong demand from an aviation industry looking to reduce its carbon footprint,” said Total’s president of refining & chemicals Bernard Pinatel.
Active in more than 130 countries, Total is involved in a range of initiatives to produce and market SAF in partnership with industry partners and is launching a dedicated renewable fuels business unit in May 2021.
Total’s aim is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
