Panama develops the largest biorefinery to produce low-carbon aviation fuels

The move comes as the aviation industry is looking to achieve its net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 and governments around the world are strongly asking companies to increase investments in clean energy. .

Biorefinery in Panama will produce 180,000 barrels biofuel per day (equivalent to 2.6 billion gallons/year), including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and biodieselonce the plant is completed by the end of 2026. The project incorporates a range of companies that have committed to SAF production in recent years, including SGP BioEnergy.

The aviation industry is considered to be more difficult to decarbonize than other modes of transport, so a drastic increase in SAF production is needed for the aviation industry to reach net zero emissions.

Used cooking oil is one of the fuels for the production of SAF. (Photo: The Times of India)

According to an analysis from the International Air Transport Association, SAF production will have to increase from an estimated 8 billion liters (211 million US gallons) in 2025 to nearly 450 billion liters (119 billion US gallons) by 2050.

SAF produces lower emissions than traditional petroleum-based jet fuels by utilizing raw materials including soybean oil, used cooking oil and tallow, but the production costs are low. higher again.

The new biorefinery will reuse existing fuel oil bunkers on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Panama in Colon and Balboa, said Randy Letang, CEO of SGP BioEnergy.

The project will aim to use Panama’s existing export infrastructure to supply SAF and biodiesel on a global scale. About half of the biorefinery’s capacity will be used to produce SAF.

Panama is not a producer of crude oil or natural gas, but serves as an energy transit point through both the Panama Canal and the Trans-Panama pipeline.

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