By CN
The report “How to make Spain the European leader in SAF? Roadmap for the decarbonisation of air transport”, promoted by Cepsa, Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling and Biocirc (Spanish Biocircularity Association), includes 16 economic, regulatory and public-private collaboration measures, with which it is considered that the production and consumption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) would position Spain at the forefront of this new technology.
SAF (sustainable aviation fuels) can be produced from non-petroleum-derived renewable feedstocks, including, but not limited to, municipal solid waste from food and garden waste, woody biomass, fats/oils and other feedstocks. The conditions available in Spain represent a great opportunity for the national economy. For this reason, the four entities propose to make the development of SAF a national project, which positions Spain as a European hub and at the forefront of sustainable tourism and the energy transition.
Investment, employment and GDP
The report recalls that the new industry to produce this sustainable fuel will require an investment of 22 billion euros for the construction of facilities and the creation of 270,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs by 2050.
According to the document, the development of this industry could have an impact of 13 billion euros on the Spanish GDP just from the construction of the plants, to which would be added 42.851 billion euros for their operation until 2050 (in addition to the investment and jobs corresponding to this phase).
The report highlights the need to establish a regulatory framework that provides security to the agents involved to invest with confidence in this emerging industry. It also highlights the importance of jointly assuming the necessary investments and the increase in costs so that SAF is a sustainable and viable solution in the short term, since its price is between 3 and 5 times higher than fossil-based kerosene.
Likewise, the development of innovative technologies for its production, as well as the deployment of industrial facilities with adequate capacity to meet the demand for SAF, is essential to take advantage of the potential of the raw material existing in the national territory.
The study notes that while the announced SAF production capacity using the most widely used technology today, HEFA, could meet needs for 2030, it would be far from meeting demand for 2040 and the needs for e-SAF synthetic fuels (obtained from green hydrogen).
To ensure energy independence and decarbonisation of the aviation sector in Spain and access to aviation fuels until 2050, it would be necessary to build 3 HEFA biofuel plants, 5 synthetic fuel plants and at least 24 SAF AtJ and FT biofuel plants.
The report also highlights the importance of locating SAF production plants close to raw materials, which would contribute not only to decarbonising the economy but also to the social and economic development of rural areas.
Another relevant factor is the coordination of agreements between the different agents that make up the value chain, including public administrations, to ensure the sustainable development of this industry. For this reason, it calls for the streamlining of permits and authorisations, the development of airport infrastructures, as well as the establishment of a European mechanism for the traceability of SAF.
The difficulties of accessing the different types of waste used as the necessary raw material are also mentioned, due to their high dispersion, and the lack of a centralized body to facilitate their management, as well as the absence of incentives or obligations to support this effort.
Fund of more than 300 million euros per year to boost SAF consumption
The proposed measures include the creation of a fund of more than 300 million euros per year to finance the development of production plants and encourage consumption, using the income obtained by the State through auctions of emission rights.
The report predicts that, with the current roadmap, the incorporation of SAF in Spain will entail an additional cost of 5,045 million euros in 2040, increasing progressively between 68 million in 2025 and 678 million in 2030. If this additional cost cannot be avoided through measures such as the roadmap presented, it would have to be assumed by the aviation sector and end consumers. In Spain, a third of the NextGen Funds (more than 70,000 million euros) have been allocated to the “Green Deal”, however, there is no allocation for the decarbonisation of the aviation sector or the SAF industry.
The report also includes a set of supporting measures that address the drive throughout the value chain in order to establish a holistic support strategy, which includes economic, fiscal, regulatory and cross-cutting measures. Thus, the companies that promote the report ask the Government for a national pact for the country’s opportunity that the SAF represents, which should materialize in a national strategy that places this new energy vector as a priority in energy and industrial policies in Spain.
International commitment to SAF to accelerate the decarbonisation of the aviation sector
New renewable fuels play a key role in achieving the goals set out in the Fit for 55 package, which the European Commission set out to reduce greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030 (compared to 1990) and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The package includes initiatives such as ReFuelEU Aviation, which will require aviation fuel to incorporate SAF progressively, from 2% starting next year to 70% in 2050. IATA, the International Air Transport Association, considers SAF to be key for the sector to meet its sustainability goals. In 2016, only 500 flights had tested the use of SAF, and by 2025 it is expected that there will be one million flights using this sustainable fuel.
SAF allows for a reduction of more than 80% in CO2 emissions compared to conventional kerosene consumption (taking into account its entire life cycle, from production to consumption). In this sense, according to the report, it is estimated that CO2 emissions from the aviation sector in Spain could be reduced by 14 million tonnes in 2050, which would boost the energy transition and the circular economy, due to the use of waste that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Spain has the options to lead the production of SAF, but other countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States are firmly committed to the development of this new energy vector. In fact, to date, all of them have initiated measures through economic and regulatory incentives and set more ambitious targets for the supply of SAF, far exceeding what is stipulated in European regulations. Spain may be left behind in a market that will be global, which is why institutional support is necessary to be able to lead this sector.
Rosario Sánchez Grau, Secretary of State for Tourism, attended the presentation and highlighted the promotion of sustainable and competitive energy as one of our greatest challenges, so that companies can focus all their efforts on advancing decarbonisation and competitiveness. “Spain’s industrial policy, which also includes tourism, needs, more than ever, to advance its decarbonisation and undertake an energy and sustainable transition as the basis for our country’s economic growth,” Sánchez stressed.
Following the presentation of the report and prior to Sánchez Grau’s intervention, Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa, Marco Sansavini, President and CEO of Iberia, Carolina Martinoli, President and CEO of Vueling, and Margarita de Gregorio, CEO of BIOCIRC, held a discussion in which they highlighted the challenges and opportunities that they estimate would be brought about by the development of the production and consumption of this fuel, both for their respective sectors and for the country as a whole.
For Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa, “the development of SAF is the main lever for the decarbonisation of the aviation sector, but at the same time it can generate a new Spanish industry that fosters economic growth, job creation and greater energy independence. At Cepsa we are delighted to join Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling and BIOCIRC in jointly proposing measures that make Spain a European SAF hub and a benchmark for sustainable air mobility. There is a global race to position itself in this new market, which is why we must accelerate the implementation of all the necessary measures so that Spain does not miss this opportunity.”
Marco Sansavini, President and CEO of Iberia, stressed that “we must not let this great opportunity for the country pass us by. We call on the central government and the rest of the public administrations to join forces in a national SAF strategy. We believe that now is the time for the government to launch a good incentive policy, just as it has already successfully done with green hydrogen. We are facing the perfect opportunity to promote the reindustrialisation of Spain, create jobs and wealth and decarbonise a sector as difficult as aviation.”
Carolina Martinoli, President and CEO of Vueling, said: “We must highlight the role of the aviation industry in connectivity, integration and accessibility to multiple destinations, in addition to its social contribution and its impact on the economy and employment. For this reason, the SAF is a key tool in the decarbonisation of this sector. But we need incentives to create a more competitive environment that allows us to scale up production and reduce its costs.”
Margarita de Gregorio, CEO of BIOCIRC, concluded that “the message we are sending today is unequivocal: Spain can be a leader in SAF production. The ambitious European objectives of REFuelEU Aviation open a window of opportunity for a country like ours, with so many renewable resources (both biomass and energy) to manufacture SAF in our territories and great scientific-technical and industrial capacity. The added value cannot be more strategic, as it will allow industrialisation, replacing fossil aviation fuels with renewable ones and addressing the demographic challenge. And it is also inclusive, as all the agents involved in the value chain can participate, from the primary and secondary sectors, to public and private agents, and at all levels: national, autonomous, regional and local. We urgently need a framework strategy for the country, which establishes the regulatory, political and incentive scenario that facilitates the viability of the projects. We are not talking about the future, but about the immediate present.”