Kansai Airports Agree First Large-Scale Commercial Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in Japan

Basic Agreement Concluded on Cooperation to Commercialize Domestic SAF – The first large-scale commercial production of SAF in Japan is to start in 2025 using waste cooking oil from the three airports in Kansai.

JGC Holdings Corporation, Kansai Airports, and REVO International Inc. announced today the conclusion of an agreement on supply of used cooking oil from restaurants and other sources at the three Airports (Kansai international airport, Osaka international airport and Kobe Airport)
operated by Kansai Airports Group as a feedstock in production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)¹, the product pursued by JGC Holdings, REVO International, and Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.

Amid more urgent calls around the world to curb CO2 emissions, the airline industry has seen increasing demand for SAF. In Japan, a target set by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) aims to increase the proportion of SAF in aviation fuel to 10% by 2030. To this end, a stable supply of domestic SAF can be considered essential.

In the SAF production envisioned, JGC Holdings, REVO International, and Cosmo Oil have planned the first large-scale commercial domestic production of SAF at Cosmo Oil’s Sakai Refinery in Osaka. The annual production capacity planned will be on the level of 30,000 kiloliters, with the first commercial supply beginning in 2025 in time for Expo 2025 in Osaka, when interest in SDGs will grow further.

This agreement forms the basis for Kansai Airports to contribute in securing used cooking oil. The company will raise awareness of the importance of SAF not only at their airport restaurants, hotels, and in-flight meal facilities but also at nearby restaurants, schools, and communities. REVO
International will collect the oil at sites introduced by Kansai Airports and transport it to the SAF production site planned by JGC Holdings and the other business partners. JGC Holdings will coordinate the entire SAF manufacturing business using the waste cooking oil as a raw material.

JGC Holdings and Kansai Airports, both members of a public-private council² to promote the introduction of SAF, will work with national and local government offices through Public-Private Council to address technical and economic challenges in production of domestic SAF at scale.
Through this collaboration, JGC Holdings, Kansai Airports, and REVO International will establish a supply network for used cooking oil to promote decarbonization at Kansai’s gateways, arranging a system that offers a steady supply of domestic SAF.

^{1: Aviation fuel produced from sources such as used cooking oil, tallow (animal oils and fats), and woody biomass. SAF enables significantly lower CO2 emissions than conventional jet fuel.
2: Established in April 2022 by MLIT and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to promote development and production of internationally competitive SAF in Japan. Participants from the private sector include oil wholesalers on the supply side and airlines on the consumption side.
(Decarbonization and realization of a recycling-oriented society through the supply of used cooking oil discharged from the three airports operated by Kansai Airports Group, etc.)}