From samosa oil to jet fuel: Indian Oil's Panipat refinery gets SAF certification; 1st in India to use cooking oil for aviation
NEW DELHI: That vegetable oil from your last samosa could soon help power your next flight. In a national first, Indian Oil's Panipat refinery has been certified to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by converting used cooking oil into jet-grade fuel.
The move marks a milestone in the country's green aviation push and aligns with global carbon reduction goals.
Swiss-based Cotecna Inspection Group, through its Indian arm Cotecna Inspection India Pvt Ltd, issued the certification after a coordinated effort between the petroleum and aviation ministries and DGCA.
'This is the first Indian refinery certified as a co-processing plant for SAF,' said an official familiar with the development.
'The focus now shifts to ramping up production to ensure a meaningful SAF presence in coming years and meet emissions targets.'
The Panipat unit complies with CORSIA — carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation — a key initiative under UN's International Civil Aviation Organization to curb aviationrelated emissions.
India is weighing a SAF blending mandate, starting with 1% SAF in all international flights by 2027, increasing to 2% thereafter.
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Blending for domestic routes may follow, though SAF is not yet permitted for regular commercial flights in the country.
Test flights have paved the runway. In Aug 2018, SpiceJet flew India's first biojet-fuelled test flight — a Bombardier Q400 from Dehradun to Delhi — using a 75:25 blend of ATF and biofuel made from jatropha by Dehradun-based Indian Institute of Petroleum.
IndiGo followed suit in Feb 2022 with a 10% SAF blend on a ferry flight from Toulouse to Delhi.
Globally and in India, airlines have shown interest — but supply remains the biggest challenge. With the Panipat breakthrough, the country inches closer to reducing aviation's carbon footprint — using used edible oil.
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