The production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the country will drive the sector’s decarbonization and position Angola as a potential exporter of the product in the Southern African region, said on Wednesday in Luanda, Zém Amal, coordinator of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) program at the National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the project’s presentation seminar, the official emphasized that the initiative is a response to international greenhouse gas mitigation targets, aiming to equip Angola with the capacity to supply national and international airlines with fuels from non-fossil sources.
He noted that the feasibility study will last six months and is fully coordinated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), with co-financing from the Italian government and Angola through an inter-institutional commission created for this purpose.
According to Zém Amar, SAF has physical and chemical properties identical to those of traditional Jet A-1, but the fact that it is processed from renewable raw materials allows for a drastic reduction in the ecological footprint.
“Angola has great agricultural potential, arable land, and water resources that put us in a prime position to produce this fuel without competing with the food security chain,” he said.
For his part, César Velarde, project coordinator for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), explained that Angola is part of a select group of pioneering countries on the African continent—alongside South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia—that are taking the first steps in the energy transition of civil aviation.
He noted that the fuel to be produced locally must comply with the 14 rigorous global environmental sustainability criteria stipulated by the CORSIA program.
And for the collection and processing of the technical data necessary for mapping, ICAO appointed senior consultant Onofre Andrade, who highlighted at the event the urgency of establishing an attractive legislative framework for private investors.
He emphasized that the global goal by 2030 is to replace five percent of the conventional fuel consumed by global aviation with clean sources.
In this regard, António Chivanga Barros, a consultant at Sonangol’s Research and Development Center, explained that the use of biomass (vegetable oils and fatty waste) ensures a “zero-emission” balance.
He noted that the work plan for the feasibility study will continue through the end of this year, after which technical recommendations and public policy proposals will be presented to attract investment in Angola’s future SAF value chain.
The National Workshop to Launch the Project for the Feasibility Study and Implementation of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) took place over two days.
Source: Angop
