August 18, 2025

Get ready for a green revolution in Indian skies! Indian Oil Corporation, India's biggest refinery, is all set to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) starting this December. The new SAF unit is at the Panipat refinery in Haryana and will churn out 35,000 tonnes per year. That's enough fuel to meet all the SAF blending needs for international flights in India by 2027, said Indian Oil chairman A. S. Sahney. India is taking things step-by-step with SAF. The government has made it mandatory to blend 1% SAF in jet fuel for international flights from 2027, increasing to 2% by 2028. This move aims to slash carbon emissions from aviation. Sure, SAF is about three times pricier than regular aviation turbine fuel (ATF), but Sahney isn’t worried. “Finding buyers will not be an issue,” he said, since airlines must follow the rules. And if Indian demand is less than production, Indian Oil will explore exporting SAF to other countries. The secret ingredient? Used Cooking Oil (UCO)! Indian Oil will use UCO as feedstock for SAF. Sahney says, “Arranging feedstock is not a challenge. There is ample collection of UCO in the country, most of which is currently exported.” That means Indian Oil is tapping into an existing network that collects UCO from large hotels, restaurants, and traditional snack makers. To add the cherry on top, the Panipat unit has earned the ISCC CORSIA certification, essential for commercial SAF production. Indian Oil is the only company in India to hold this for producing SAF from used cooking oil, valid for the next year. So the Indian skies are about to get a clean, green makeover, thanks to Indian Oil's masaledar plan to produce eco-friendly fuel right at the heart of Haryana!

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Tags: Indian oil corporation, Sustainable aviation fuel, Saf, Used cooking oil, Panipat refinery, Aviation fuel,