Malaysia, ASEAN to Supply 15 Per Cent of Global SAF Feedstock - IATA

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has been identified as one of the world’s critical hotspots for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Together with Indonesia, China and other ASEAN countries, the region could supply about 240 million tonnes of biomass feedstock by 2050, or 15 per cent of the global total.

“This potential is supported by existing biofuel industries in these countries, which position Malaysia and its neighbours as key contributors to the aviation sector’s decarbonisation efforts,” the IATA study said.

In partnership with Worley Consulting, IATA published a study which showed that there are sufficient sustainable feedstocks to meet the industry’s needs.

The Middle East and North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa are projected to provide a further 220 million tonnes, or 14 per cent of global feedstock, largely from waste and residue sources.

Nevertheless, IATA said the main challenge to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is not feedstock availability but the slow pace of SAF technology rollout.

IATA Director-General Willie Walsh said feedstock availability is not the obstacle; the challenge is scaling up technology, infrastructure and investment to unlock production at the pace required. 

The report also highlighted that airlines will need 500 million tonnes of SAF annually by 2050 to achieve net-zero emissions, with biomass contributing more than 300 million tonnes and power-to-liquid filling the gap.

IATA senior vice-president for sustainability and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen said governments, energy producers, investors and the aviation sector must collaborate to de-risk investment and accelerate rollout.

“Policy certainty and cross-sector collaboration are essential to unlock the scale we need. The time to act is now, and delays will only make the challenge harder,” she said.

-- BERNAMA