Singapore has seen its energy market shift recently to a more diversified output, thanks in no small part to a new development that sees Keppel and Aster teaming up to assess what could be Asia’s first commercial-scale Ethanol-to-Jet Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility. The need to diversify energy mixes has not been lost on the Asian market, and the proposed facility marks a significant step towards reducing emissions and producing high volumes of a much-needed fuel resource.
The international aviation sector has been searching for a new fuel supply
While the conventional energy industry has seen tremendous progress in reducing emissions from operations, and the mobility and automotive sector is making similar strides in reducing emissions through renewable fuel sources, the aviation sector has, for the most part, been ignored by the clean fuel sector. The progress made in advancing alternative fuel sources has been a sight to behold as the market shifts its focus.
Thankfully, that period has now passed, as Keppel, an international asset management company with significant expertise in sustainability-focused energy solutions, and Aster, a market-leading energy and chemical infrastructure solutions company focused on Southeast Asia, have agreed to develop a new Ethanol-to-Jet Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility on Jurong Island, Singapore.
A new, cleaner aviation fuel has emerged from the depths of the energy industry
The Ethanol-to-jet fuel process involves converting bioethanol into SAF, or Sustainable Aviation Fuel, through a series of tried and tested chemical processes such as fractionation, hydrogenation, dehydration, and oligomerisation. This process drastically reduces emissions from the aviation sector, and by using feedstocks from waste materials or biomass, the newly proposed facility on Jurong Island can produce SAF that complies with CORSIA standards.
The current sentiment on the ground is that more needs to be done to advance the alternative fuel sector to meet the ever-growing demand across the world, with Asia in particular expressing a proclivity for Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
Can Aster and Keppel deliver a milestone achievement with the new SAF facility?
The newly proposed facility on Jurong Island will boast an expected production capacity for SAF of approximately 100,000 tonnes annually, once all the necessary regulatory approvals have been given, and the pair of companies takes a Final Investment Decision on the development.
Under the newly signed deal between Aster and Keppel, the pair of companies will carry out the necessary Front-End Engineering Design studies to assess the viability of the project. The companies have stated that the facility will make use of the latest best-in-class Ethanol‑to‑Jet technology to produce the SAF.
The project has become extremely important to Singapore as the nation aims to develop the facility into Asia’s first-ever, purpose-built EtJ SAF facility. As the conventional upstream market is set to grow substantially over the coming years, Singapore is taking a much different approach to its fuel sector and is aiming to become a major clean fuel production hub in the Asian market through the newly proposed facility.
“Keppel is pleased to partner Aster on this first‑of‑its‑kind commercial‑scale Ethanol‑to‑Jet SAF project on Jurong Island, supporting Singapore’s ambitions to be a leading SAF hub in Asia.” – Ms Cindy Lim, CEO of Keppel’s Infrastructure Division
Will Singapore deliver on its expansionary SAF uplift target in 2026?
Singapore, along with a plethora of Asian nations that produce SAF, has targeted a 1% uplift in the country’s SAF production this year and hopes to continue on its upward trajectory and increase that level to between 3% and 5% by the end of the decade. As the United States is anticipating an influx of oil and premium diesel from several upgraded refineries, Singapore is aiming to develop the milestone SAF facility and reform the nation’s energy production market over the coming years as the facility comes online.
