PTT Global Chemical says it has started producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Thailand for the first time, with planned annual output of 6 million litres for the first phase.
The petrochemical arm of the national oil and gas conglomerate PTT is using used cooking oil as the main raw material. It plans to expand production to 24 million litres per year in the future, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Today’s official commercial production of SAF is ready to support rapidly expanding demand for renewable energy in the Thai commercial aviation industry,” PTTGC president Toasaporn Boonyapipat said in the statement.
Production of green jet fuel will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote Thailand’s potential to become a low-carbon aviation hub in Southeast Asia, the company said.
The SET-listed refiner Bangchak Corp is also building a 10-billion-baht SAF plant, expected to start commercial production this year.
Studies have shown that SAF can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from air travel and transport by up to 85% over its life cycle, including production, distribution, transport and combustion, but it comprises less than 0.2% of the jet fuel in use worldwide today.
The Thai Ministry of Energy is drafting a plan for the use of SAF, expected to begin with a 1% SAF blend in 2026 with the proportion increasing in subsequent years.
Singapore announced last year that it plans to require all flights departing the country to use SAF starting in 2026. The city-state aims for a 1% SAF blend from 2026 and plans to raise it to 3-5% by 2030, subject to global developments and the wider availability and adoption of SAF.
Malaysia said in November that it planned to start producing SAF in 2027.