South African petrochemical group Sasol has signed an agreement to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to luxury tourism operator White Desert for its flights to Antarctica.
According to Reuters, the deal marks a new step in Sasol’s strategy to develop lower-emission aviation fuels, following the company’s receipt in April of independent certification from German agency TÜV SÜD for its SAF product.
The fuel is produced through the co-processing of used cooking oil and vegetable oil at the National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref), a refinery with capacity to process 108,500 barrels of crude oil per day that currently operates predominantly on conventional crude.
Sasol regards the agreement with White Desert as the first commercial SAF supply contract in Africa and intends to use it as a reference to pursue similar contracts with major airlines in Europe and the Middle East.
“We believe this is just the beginning,” Danie Cronje, Sasol’s Senior Vice President for Business Development, Strategy and Technology, told Reuters.
White Desert operates a weekly flight between Cape Town and Antarctica during its season, which runs from November to February. The first flight using Sasol-produced SAF, on board an Airbus A340-600, is scheduled for November.
The tourism company, which previously sourced SAF produced in Europe, opted for a local supplier after Sasol obtained the required certification.
Sasol Plans to Scale Up Production
Natref is being converted into a hybrid biofuels refinery and is expected to produce between one and two million litres of SAF this year, depending on demand. The target is to reach approximately 16 million litres by 2027 and up to 100 million litres by 2030.
The development of the African SAF market is also attracting broader investment. In May, Kenya Airways and Rubis Energy Kenya signed a non-binding agreement to develop a refinery dedicated to sustainable aviation fuel production.
The planned facility is expected to use animal fats and used vegetable oils, with the aim of meeting stringent European Union sustainability criteria applicable to SAF.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/15/mundo/africa/africa-do-sul-sasol-fecha-acordo-para-fornecer-combustivel-sustentavel-a-voos-para-antartida/
