Japanese companies partner to develop SAF feedstock supply chain

Idemitsu Kosan, a Japanese petroleum company, and LOPS Corp., a Japan-based trading company that supplies oil and fats, on Aug. 24 announced plans to conduct a joint study focused on the procurement of feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.

The two companies aim to establish a stable feedstocks supply chain to procure SAF feedstocks, including used cooking oil, from various regions of Japan by the late 2020s. The partnership will utilize Idemitsu Kosan’s petroleum manufacturing technology and LOPS’ knowledge of animal and vegetable oils and fats, along with their respective supply chains, to procure SAF feedstocks. The joint study will also address issues related to optimization and cost reduction of storage and marine and land transport.

Idemitsu Kosan is working to develop 500,000 kiloliters (132.09 million gallons) per year of SAF capacity to support Japan’s goal of achieving a 10 percent SAF blend rate by 2030. To reach those goals, Idemitsu Kosan has announced plans for an alcohol-to-jet project at its Chiba Complex, which is scheduled to begin production in fiscal year (FY) 2026. The company is also considering the deployment of hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) technology, which produces SAF via the hydroprocessing of waste cooking oil or other renewable oil feedstocks.