In April, the company began supplying French airports with sustainable aviation fuel
Energy company, Total has begun producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its La Mede biorefinery in Southern France and Oudalle facility situated near Le Havre.
Made from cooking oil, the product started fuelling French airports last month.
The company will also be able to produce SAF at its Grandpuits platform, located south-east of Paris, from 2024.
“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, while adapting our industrial resources,” said Bernard Pinatel, president of refining and chemicals at Total.
“As a broad energy company, we support our customers by providing innovative solutions to reduce their emissions. This commitment is fully aligned with Total’s climate ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050.”
All of the fuel is set to be formulated from animal fat, used cooking oil and other waste products. The firm stated that they will not be using vegetable oils as feedstock.
Total will now be in a position to respond from its production sites to support airlines in meeting the obligations set out by French legislation, which calls for all aircraft to use at least 1% SAF by next year, 2% by 2025 and 5% by 2030.
The development of this new product is part of the company’s goal to reach carbon neutrality, as bio-jet fuels help reduce emissions for air transportation.
