Singapore is starting a pilot on the use of sustainable aviation fuel as the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines, and investment firm Temasek selected ExxonMobil as supplier.

Under the pilot, SIA will purchase blended SAF from ExxonMobil, comprising 1.25 million litres of neat SAF or sustainable fuels that are unmixed or undiluted.

The fuel, produced from used cooking oil and waste animal fats, will be supplied by Neste, and blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in Singapore.

This blended fuel will be delivered to Changi Airport by the end of July, and all Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights will use this fuel from the third quarter over a 1-year period. The use of SAF over the 1-year pilot is expected to reduce about 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

“The appointment of ExxonMobil follows a Request for Proposal on 10 November 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,” the press release read.

Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS said the pilot 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.

Neste is set to expand its Singapore refinery in early 2023, which will allow it to produce up to 1 million tonnes of SAF per annum, Thorsten Lange, Executive Vice President Renewable Aviation at Neste, noted.