"Ministers’ information" He explores the opportunities available to Egypt in the field of developing sustainable aviation fuel production and the requirements for success
The Information and Decision Support Center of the Council of Ministers issued a forward-looking report in which it discussed the most prominent opportunities available to the Egyptian state in developing the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), indicating that the aviation industry is among the most intensive activities in contributing to carbon dioxide emissions, even though it only contributes about 2.5% of global emissions. One long-haul flight may produce more carbon emissions than the average person would produce in an entire year. It contributes about 4% to the phenomenon of global warming, and in light of the increasing global trends towards enhancing reliance on renewable energy sources, in addition to the expectations of the growth of global air traffic during the next two decades, with the increasing well-being of individuals, the importance of sustainable aviation fuel “SAF” is highlighted. In contributing towards achieving the goal of reaching net zero emissions of carbon dioxide by 2050.
As a result, the volume of global demand for sustainable aviation fuel is expected to rise to reach between 330-445 million tons by 2050, compared to a modest production volume of 0.5 million tons during 2023, in light of the European Union obligating aviation fuel suppliers to provide a minimum share of sustainable aviation fuel in Etihad airports, starting from 2% of the total fuel supplied by 2025, and the British government aims for the percentage of sustainable aviation fuel not to be less than 10% of the total fuel used in aircraft fueling by 2030, which will lead to increased companies’ demand. The opportunity for Egypt is as follows:
– Mitigating climate change: Sustainable jet fuel is an environmentally friendly alternative compared to traditional fossil fuels, as it significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps reduce the effects of climate change, as it has the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.
– Promoting eco-tourism: Sustainable travel solutions contribute to attracting tourists interested in environmentally responsible travel, as a survey of about 33,000 travelers around the world showed in the “Sustainable Travel 2023” report. About 76% of the survey participants planned to adopt sustainable travel plans on their next trips.
-Diversifying energy sources: reduces dependence on fossil fuel imports, which enhances Egypt’s energy security and reduces its exposure to global price fluctuations.
-Taking advantage of local resources: SAF can be produced from many renewable resources available in Egypt, such as vegetable oils and agricultural waste, which contributes to improving the economy. Local.
-International cooperation: Egypt can benefit from international cooperation in the field of developing SAF, which contributes to technology transfer and building strategic partnerships.
The success factors of Egypt’s opportunity to develop the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) are represented in the following:
– Local availability of raw materials: The volume of used edible oil in Egypt has reached approximately 500 thousand tons annually, which is one of the following: Sources of producing aviation fuel “SAF”.
– Availability of manufacturing inputs: Egypt produces about 90 million tons of waste annually, and agricultural waste, sewage waste, and municipal waste constitute the vast majority of the total volume of waste, while the percentage of municipal waste directed to landfills does not exceed 7%.
– Governmental interest: The state has paid attention to the shift towards sustainable travel solutions as it has The Ministry of Civil Aviation will operate the first environmentally friendly flight in January 2022, which is the first flight of its kind on the African continent.
-Plans and targets: The Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources announced plans to produce sustainable aviation fuel in light of the efforts aimed at implementing the first project of its kind in this regard, relying on used edible oil as a feedstock in cooperation with leading international institutions in the same regard, and in November 2024, the American company Honeywell, the leading American company in the field of energy solutions, announced Sustainability and Industrial Automation announced the completion of the feasibility study for the project to produce sustainable aviation fuel in Egypt in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as it is the first project of its kind in the Middle East and Africa, with the next steps to implement the project being initiated.
As for the requirements for success and the resources required to enhance the development of sustainable aviation fuel production “SAF” It is represented in:
– Promoting the enormous potential possessed by the Egyptian state with the aim of attracting foreign investments to finance projects to strengthen the infrastructure for the production of sustainable jet fuel due to the high initial costs associated.
– Forming a national committee concerned with formulating an integrated strategy for the localization of the sustainable jet fuel industry in Egypt and identifying proposed financing parties.
– Studying the markets Potential export potential with the aim of enhancing joint cooperation and forming bilateral partnerships, as the countries of the European continent are at the forefront of these markets due to the laws adopted to reduce carbon emissions and increase the proportion of the use of sustainable aviation fuel in the total fuel used to supply flights.
– Developing the regulatory and legislative framework in the field of managing and treating waste and used food oils with the aim of integrating the informal sector and reducing waste.
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