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What is SAF: The government has said that the use of SAF should be made a formal policy. Using SAF along with conventional ATF in aircraft will result in savings of about Rs 70 thousand crore every year.
New Delhi. If we tell you that in the coming days, planes will fly with the oil that confectioners throw away after frying samosas. This oil, which is generally considered poisonous for consumption, is planned to be used in planes instead of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). According to Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, this type of oil has been named Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the use of which will not only reduce the dependence on imports, but will also lead to savings of about Rs 70 thousand crores every year.
Naidu said that the government will very soon come out with a policy on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This will help in reducing crude oil imports, increasing the income of farmers and creating more green jobs. At a summit in Delhi, the Minister stressed that the adoption of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) requires more innovation, investment and collective international cooperation.
India set a big target
India aims to blend one percent SAF in aviation fuel by 2027, two percent by 2028 and 5 percent by 2030. SAF can be used as a ‘drop-in’ fuel in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) that powers aircraft. The minister said that apart from oil companies, private companies should also be involved in SAF production. Globally, the requirement of SAF by the year 2040 is estimated to be 183 million tonnes.
Benefits from samosa makers to farmers
Naidu said that from raw material to fuel, from farmers to pilots and from frying samosas etc. to flying… in fact, who would have thought that samosa fryers can also take part in this entire global aviation movement (on SAF). More than 75 crore tonnes of ‘biomass’ is available in India and there is about 213 million tonnes of surplus agricultural residue. Naidu said that the government will come out with a SAF policy very soon. Apart from reducing carbon emissions, this can empower farmers by increasing their earnings by 10-15 percent.
How much does the country save every year?
Naidu said that SAF production can help in reducing our crude oil import bill by 5 to 7 billion US dollars (about Rs 70 thousand crore) every year as well as help in creating more than 10 lakh green jobs in the SAF value chain. Global SAF is currently very low. The country can produce SAF at highly competitive rates. This fuel can also help address the challenge of growth versus sustainability. Domestic aircraft companies have placed orders for more than 1,700 aircraft and India is the country with the fastest growing aviation industry.
