France – TotalEnergies is responding to the increasing demand from aviation customers by ramping up its production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
By 2028, the company plans to produce half a million tons of SAF, enough to meet the gradual rise in the European SAF blending mandate, which is set at 6% for 2030. To achieve this goal, TotalEnergies is making significant investments and launching multiple projects focused on SAF production.
Key initiatives include:
Grandpuits: TotalEnergies is investing €400 million to transform the Grandpuits site into a zero-crude platform, with a primary focus on producing SAF from circular feedstocks like animal fat and used cooking oil. By 2025, Grandpuits will have the capacity to produce 210,000 tons per year of SAF. Additionally, an additional investment has been announced to further increase production to 75,000 tons per year by 2027.
Normandy: The company has already started coprocessing SAF from used cooking oil at its Gonfreville refinery in Normandy. The plan is to increase annual production at the site to 40,000 tons by 2025. Furthermore, TotalEnergies intends to produce an additional 150,000 tons per year of SAF by coprocessing HVO biodiesel produced at its La Mède refinery, pending approval by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials), following technical collaboration with its aeronautical partners.
La Mède: TotalEnergies has invested €340 million to convert its La Mède refinery into a biorefinery. Biodiesel produced at La Mède is currently being used to produce SAF at the TotalEnergies Oudalle plant near Le Havre. The company is exploring a new investment to expand La Mède’s capacity to process 100% waste from the circular economy (including used cooking oil and animal fat) by 2024, enabling the production of biofuels and SAF through coprocessing.
Meeting demand
TotalEnergies also has global ambitions for SAF production. By 2030, the company aims to produce 1.5 million tons per year of SAF through production units in Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea. This would represent 10% of the world market for SAF.
Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, emphasized the company’s commitment to meeting the aviation industry’s demand for reducing carbon emissions. Sustainable aviation fuel plays a crucial role in achieving this goal, aligning with TotalEnergies’ overarching climate ambition to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
