EU green jet fuel mandate will carve out market for big players, industry warns

An EU mandate for the use of animal fats and used cooking oils in sustainable aviation fuel is set to enrich large biofuel players such as Total and Neste Oil, at the expense of most of the industry, the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA) has warned.
EWABA, which represents over 30 advanced biofuels producers, said the inclusion of fuels made from waste lipids, such as vegetable oils and tallow, in the upcoming ReFuelEU regulation will essentially ringfence the industry for big suppliers.
The EU is expected to publish plans on 14 July that will oblige aircraft to use green jet fuel when refuelling at EU airports as part of an effort to reduce emissions from the notoriously carbon-intensive sector.
Waste lipids are processed by most SMEs in the industry into a type of biodiesel capable of powering trucks and ships, but generally unsuitable as an aviation fuel.
Processing these waste lipids into a fuel that can be used in airliners – known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) and Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) – requires an advanced process that only a handful of mega-refineries in Europe can carry out.
These...