This development comes as quite a surprise and has hardly been mentioned in the media so far. The Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (SHGM) wants to make the production and utilization of SAF mandatory. This affects not only passenger and cargo airlines, but also upstream and downstream transport processes. The goal is to reduce emissions in aviation by 5% come 2030.
Once the large SAF refinery is operational, it will catapult Türkiye at the top of global providers of a sustainable aviation fuel. The SHGM advance is in line with the Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) CORSIA scheme for the gradual decarbonization of aviation, which envisages a new, more stringent phase come 2027. The Turkish initiative also stipulates that 90% of the specified amount of SAF for international flights must be refueled in Istanbul or another Turkish airport. This is intended to prevent regulatory compliance and, above all, to up the proportion of biofuel production within the country to grow this industry from little to big at a scaling rate.
Close collaboration is a prerequisite
In addition to airlines as the main addressees, the SHGM measure applies to everyone involved in the supply chain. After all, a consistent reduction in CO2 values cannot be achieved if only individual players reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, but also forwarders, ground handling agents, airports, warehouse operators and all companies involved in cargo and passenger transportation.
Close cooperation of the energy producers is a prerequisite for the plan to work. They must ensure that SAF is available in sufficient quantities at prices that are affordable and do not put Turkish airlines at a competitive disadvantage due to high costs.
The local player, DB Tarımsal Enerji, has already agreed to build a refinery that can produce 100,000 tons of SAF per year. This is to be done in close coordination with other Turkish companies and, above all, Honeywell, which joint the alliance of three last fall.
Stark air traffic growth expected
The cooperation is based on traffic analyses, prediction a 109% growth of the Turkish air transport market over the next 20 years. This figure is in line with IATA traffic forecasts.
Honeywell licensed UOP’s Ecofining process, is a proven technology that has been used globally since 2016 to produce SAF. It can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to Jet -A1 fossil fuels. DB Tarımsal Enerji is a market leader in Türkiye’s biodiesel industry and has established a procurement network for wastes, which will serve as raw materials in the development of SAF. The company plans to expand its product portfolio by stepping into the manufacturing and sales of next-generation aviation and marine fuels.
Once erected and operational, the company’s plant will use 100% of domestically sourced waste and raw material, with a production capacity of almost 400,000 liters per day. In addition to SAF, it will also produce bio-naphtha and renewable diesel. DB will handle raw material procurement. In addition, a project for a pre-treatment plant is already underway.
