Sasol has secured certification from a German agency for its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a development that clears the way for the petrochemical group to begin exporting the product to the European Union.
The company’s SAF, manufactured using used cooking oil and vegetable oil at its 108,500 barrel-per-day Natref refinery, received ISCC Plus sustainability certification from TUV SUD, a Germany-based agency. The same certification was granted for sustainable chemicals produced at Sasol’s larger Secunda complex, according to a company statement.
Sarushen Pillay, Sasol’s executive vice president for strategy and technology, explained that South Africa currently collects significant volumes of used cooking oil, which is then shipped to Durban and exported to Rotterdam for SAF production elsewhere.
The certification now allows Sasol to produce the fuel domestically. Pillay did not specify a timeline for the commencement of exports, but the EU market presents a clear demand driver. The bloc mandates a 6% SAF blending ratio for aircraft departing from European airports by 2030, a requirement that escalates to 70% by 2050.
The timing of the certification coincides with severe disruptions to global jet fuel supplies stemming from the US-Israeli war with Iran. The EU ranks among the worst-affected regions, with sharply higher prices and dwindling inventories placing pressure on airlines ahead of the northern hemisphere summer travel season. This supply crunch could enhance the commercial viability of Sasol’s SAF exports, though the company faces competition from established producers.
Sasol is targeting production volumes of between 1 million and 2 million litres of SAF from Natref this year, depending on customer demand. The refinery is being converted into a hybrid bio-refinery. Production is expected to ramp up to approximately 16 million litres in 2027 and reach up to 100 million litres by 2030, aligning with Sasol’s broader strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and prepare for stricter clean fuel specifications. If production from the Secunda complex is included, the company’s target rises to 200 million litres of SAF by 2030, Pillay said.
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Sasol, recognised as one of Africa’s largest industrial polluters, has also formed partnerships with Anglo American and De Beers to develop alternative feedstocks. The collaboration involves cultivating oil-rich crops, such as Solaris, to produce biolipids for the company’s SAF portfolio. Research from the WWF suggests that South Africa has the annual potential to produce between 3.2 billion and 4.5 billion litres of SAF, primarily using invasive alien plant vegetation as feedstock.
James Reeler, a climate specialist at WWF, described the certification as an important first step that allows Sasol to test market demand and assess the price differential it can command for certified sustainable product. However, he cautioned that the EU remains a challenging market for Sasol’s proposed synthetic aviation fuel, known as eSAF, largely because tracking and certifying renewable molecules at the highly integrated Secunda facility is technically difficult.
A May 2025 study by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, reviewed by Reuters, noted that eight of the world’s top ten SAF users, including major carriers such as British Airways owner IAG and Air France KLM, already have commercial footholds in South Africa. The study concluded that these airlines have an opportunity to diversify their SAF supply chains by sourcing from South Africa, provided the fuel proves cost-competitive against other SAF available globally.