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Experts cautious on palm oil-fueled aircraft
The government has pitched Indonesia as a possible supplier of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), but experts say the environmental costs and competitiveness in the global aviation industry should be given due consideration.
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Ground crew prepare an Emirates Airbus A380-800 aircraft, powering one of its engines with a hundred per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), for a demonstration flight at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai on Nov. 22, 2023. (AFP/Giuseppe Cacace)
T
he government has pitched Indonesia as a supplier of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), but experts say the environmental costs and competitiveness in the global aviation industry should be given due consideration.
Singapore reportedly plans to make the use of sustainable aviation fuel mandatory beginning 2026, and other countries too are looking at ways to make the airline industry less environmentally harmful through the use of biofuel.
Indonesia as the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO) has been identified as a potential SAF feedstock supplier and has run pilot projects on the use of biofuel for aviation since 2021.
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia began tests with palm oil-sourced SAF last year.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi met his Singaporean counterpart Chee Hong Tat in the city-state earlier this month to discuss cooperation on SAF, including the potential construction of a refinery in Indonesia, according to a ministry statement.
Read also: Singapore to require departing flights to use sustainable fuel from 2026
Energy Shift Institute director Putra Adhiguna emphasized the importance of sustainability standards for SAF. It was crucial for Indonesia to guarantee that its palm oil satisfied internationally accepted standards for the production of SAF, he told The Jakarta Post on Feb. 22.
