ExxonMobil to supply blended SAF at Singapore’s Changi Airport

ExxonMobil has been selected by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA), and Singapore-headquartered global investment company Temasek to supply and deliver sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as part of a pilot on the use of SAF in Singapore.

“Sustainable aviation fuels are a key decarbonisation lever, and a critical pathway for the success of the SIA Group’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This pilot reinforces our commitment towards decarbonisation and sustainability across our operations. By collaborating with our partners, we can accelerate and scale up the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels in Singapore,” said Lee Wen Fen, senior vice president, Corporate Planning, Singapore Airlines.

“Our well-established infrastructure and logistics capabilities allow us to supply jet fuel blended with Neste’s sustainable aviation fuel at Changi Airport. We are leveraging our resources, technology and capabilities to deliver more renewable fuels to help customers reduce their emissions,” said Geraldine Chin, chairman and managing director, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

Under this pilot, SIA, with support from CAAS and Temasek, will purchase blended SAF from ExxonMobil. This product will comprise 1.25 million litres of neat SAF (sustainable fuels that are unmixed or undiluted), which will be supplied by Neste and produced from used cooking oil and waste animal fats, and blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in Singapore.

This blended fuel will be delivered to Changi Airport via the airport’s existing fuel hydrant system by the end of July 2022. From the third quarter of 2022, all Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights will use this blended fuel. The use of the SAF over the one-year pilot period is expected to reduce about 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

According to Neste’s Thorsten Lange, executive vice president, Renewable Aviation, Neste will have the ability to produce up to 1 million tonnes of SAF per annum to serve aviation markets in the Asia-Pacific region and globally, with the completion of its Singapore refinery expansion in early 2023.

The appointment of ExxonMobil follows a Request for Proposal on November 10, 2021 to invite select producers and fuel suppliers to develop and execute plans to deliver blended SAF to Singapore Changi Airport. It is a follow-up to an earlier study conducted by the Singapore Government and industry players on the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at Changi Airport.

“Sustainability will be a key CAAS priority in the coming years as we revive air travel and rebuild the Singapore air hub. The CAAS-SIA-Temasek SAF pilot is an important building block in our effort to develop a sustainable air hub. It will operationally validate SAF integration options in Singapore and provide insights on end-to-end cost components, potential pricing structures for cost recovery and support future policy considerations for SAF deployment,” said Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS.

“The SAF pilot marks an important step in our commitment to operationalise solutions to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like aviation. We look forward to learning useful operational lessons from the pilot, and working closely with our partners to advance the frontiers of sustainable aviation through impactful industry-wide decarbonisation strategies,” said Frederick Teo, Temasek’s managing director, Sustainable Solutions.

“We will work with airlines, industry players and government agencies to accelerate the adoption of SAF at Changi Airport, to power more sustainable air travel,” according to Tan Lye Teck, executive vice president, Airport Management, Changi Airport Group,  as Changi Airport is committed to advancing Changi as a sustainable air hub by supporting green initiatives.