Egypt’s first-ever SAF production project is underway: The Oil Ministry has devised a plan that will see state-owned firm Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM) producing the country’s first sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), according to a ministry statement.

A helping hand: Unnamed international organizations are set to prepare studies and secure financing for the project during its initial stages, Oil Minister Tarek El Molla said yesterday at a meeting to follow up on the project.

To oversee the project: The government will form an executive committee featuring teams from its ministries to expedite work on the project. The committee will be tasked with streamlining procedures and working closely with the aviation sector — the end consumer of the biofuel.

Sound familiar? Reports surfaced last month stemming from unnamed sources claiming that ECHEM and state-owned Alexandria National Refining and Petrochemicals Company are looking into partnering with a local private-sector player to set up a USD 380 mn SAF project with an estimated production capacity of 120k tons a year.

Climate-friendly fuel: SAF is a biofuel used to power aircraft that is made from non-petroleum feedstock such as waste cooking oil, animal fats, and non-food crops. It can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. Aviation was responsible for 2% of energy-related carbon emissions in 2022, the International Energy Agency’s most recent figures show.

What to know more about green fuels? We did a deep dive into the topic for our Going Green vertical.

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