Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri speaks during the Confederation of Indian Industry in New Delhi in January, 2023. Photo Credit: PTI
Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on May 19 called for cutting emissions from the sector as India plans to mandate the use of 1% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for domestic airlines by 2025.
Unlike the United States and the European Union, India does not yet have policies governing sustainable aviation fuels. The European Commission SAF mandate is expected to start in 2025 with a minimum amount of SAF of 2%.
About 140 million liters of biofuel is required for blending jet fuel with 1% SAF, Mr Puri said. He added that the mandate for SAF could go up to 4-5% if more quantities of biofuels are available.
An Indian panel suggested the rollout of 1% SAF in the country by 2025.
Speaking at an event to receive the country’s first local flight operated by Biojet, Mr Puri said the final mandate would require cabinet approval.
Private company Praj Industries provided the biofuel, which was mixed with jet fuel by the country’s top refiner Indian Oil Corp.
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SSV Ramkumar, director of research and development, said IOC aims to set up a plant to produce 87,000 tonnes of SAF by 2026, which would cost over Rs 15 billion.