Idemitsu's Ambitious Plans for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production in Japan
Key Ideas
- Idemitsu plans to begin commercial production of sustainable aviation fuel using the HEFA method at its Tokuyama plant in Japan by 2028-2029, aiming to generate 250,000 kilolitres per year.
- The company is considering procuring feedstocks like used cooking oil and plant oils to produce SAF and may repurpose existing facilities at its Tokuyama complex to meet production goals.
- In addition to HEFA-based SAF, Idemitsu plans to produce SAF through the alcohol-to-jet method and aims to purchase SAF from overseas projects to meet Japan's increasing demand driven by government mandates.
- Collaboration agreements with various stakeholders, including aviation, refinery, trading, airline, airport, and financial companies, have been established to promote the trading of emission reduction certificates and boost SAF consumption.
Japanese refiner Idemitsu is gearing up to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using the hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) method at its Tokuyama plant in the Yamaguchi prefecture. By 2028-2029, they plan to start commercial production, generating 250,000 kilolitres of SAF annually. The company is exploring using various feedstocks like used cooking oil, plant oils, and possibly pongamia pinnata in the future. To address the feedstock challenge, Idemitsu is considering sourcing 270,000-280,000 tonnes per year from both Japan and overseas markets. In addition to HEFA-based SAF, the company also intends to produce SAF through the alcohol-to-jet method at its Chiba plant and procure SAF from international projects. Japan's SAF demand is expected to rise, driven by government mandates, pushing for at least 10% of jet fuel consumption to be SAF by 2030. Idemitsu's innovative plans also include repurposing existing facilities and collaborating with various industry players to facilitate the trading of emission reduction certificates, ultimately promoting SAF consumption and sustainability in aviation.