TotalEnergies and China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC) have signed an agreement to jointly develop a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production unit at a SINOPEC refinery in China.

The planned unit, to be jointly owned by SINOPEC and TotalEnergies, will have the capacity to produce 230,000 tonnes of SAF per year.

It will process local waste or residues from the circular economy, such as cooking oils and animal fats.

SINOPEC has developed its own SAF production technology — called SRJET — while TotalEnergies, already a leading SAF producer in Europe, will contribute its experience and expertise in technical, operational, and distribution fields.

SINOPEC Group Chairman Yongsheng Ma stated: “This milestone collaboration with TotalEnergies is in line with our strategy in the development of low-carbon solutions for China and the world.

“SINOPEC is committed to providing green and low-carbon energy solutions while improving the quality and efficiency of its asset portfolio.”

TotalEnergies Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanné commented: “We are very pleased to collaborate with SINOPEC, a major player in the global refining industry, to produce sustainable aviation fuels and structure a SAF production chain in China.

“The development of sustainable aviation fuels is at the heart of our company’s transition strategy, as we strive to meet the aviation industry’s demand to reduce its carbon footprint.

“TotalEnergies has set itself a target of 1.5 million tonnes of annual SAF production by 2030,” said Pouyanné.

TotalEnergies is developing Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) from waste and residues from the circular economy — such as animal fats and used cooking oils — as well as ‘e-jets’, synthetic fuels for aviation.

These fuels will significantly reduce CO2 emissions from air transport.