Thailand’s first standard for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) specifications is expected this month, with enforcement scheduled from Jan 1, 2026 to support a campaign reducing the carbon footprint of the aviation industry, says the Department of Energy Business.
A biofuel for aircraft, SAF produces up to 80% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuel, according to media reports citing various forecasts.
The guideline used for SAF manufacturing in Thailand is based on international standards and covers neat SAF, a mixture of SAF and jet fuel, as well as Jet A-1, said Sarawut Kaewtathip, director-general of the department.
Neat SAF refers to pure SAF, while Jet A-1 is a kerosene-type aviation fuel used commercially by aircraft.
Thailand has never had a standard for Jet A-1, but because SAF will be blended with conventional fuel, a standard for Jet A-1 is needed for the calculation of reduced carbon dioxide emissions, said Mr Sarawut.
“The criteria for SAF manufacturing should be published in the Royal Gazette in the last week of October,” he said.
Thailand has two major SAF manufacturers: Bangchak Corporation produces neat SAF, while PTT Global Chemical (GC), the petrochemical arm of national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc, makes an SAF-jet oil mixture.
GC’s products are expected to be distributed and marketed by PTT Oil and Retail Business, a subsidiary of PTT.
Both Bangchak and GC use used cooking oil, also known as UCO, as a raw material to produce SAF.
“It is expected UCO will become scarce in 2027 as demand for SAF continues to increase,” said Mr Sarawut.
This may cause manufacturers to produce SAF from plant fibre, he said.
According to SAF scientists, corn stover, sugar cane bagasse and wheat straw are rich in certain types of fibre that can be converted into alcohols such as ethanol or iso-butanol, which are then transformed into jet fuel using alcohol-to-jet technology.
Thailand has an abundance of raw materials needed for SAF production, supporting the government’s plan to make the country a regional hub of aviation, said Mr Sarawut.
The country, which produces ethanol from sugar cane and methyl ester from palm, has infrastructure such as logistics to support the production of new biofuels in the future, he said.