TOT Starts Making Sustainable Aviation Fuel in France

Total (NYSE: TOT) has announced that it has started producing sustainable aviation fuel at its La Mède biorefinery, located in southern France, and its Oudalle facility, which is near Le Havre.

The biojet fuel will be delivered to French airports starting in April, the company noted. From 2024, Total will also be able to produce sustainable aviation fuel at its zero-crude Grandpuits platform, southeast of Paris, the company revealed.

All of the sustainable aviation fuels will be made from animal fat, used cooking oil, and other waste and residue sourced from the circular economy, according to Total, which said it will not use vegetable oils as feedstock. The company said it will be in a position to respond to new French legislation that calls for aircraft to use at least one percent biojet fuel by 2022, two percent by 2025, and five percent by 2030.

“By producing sustainable aviation fuel at our French sites today, we are able to respond to strong demand from an aviation industry looking to reduce its carbon footprint, while adapting our industrial resources,” Bernard Pinatel, the president of refining and chemicals at Total, said in a company statement.

“As a broad energy company, we support our customers by providing innovative solutions to reduce their emissions. This commitment is fully aligned with Total’s climate ambition to get to net zero emissions by 2050,” the Total representative went on to say.

Total is Europe’s leading retailer of biofuels, with more than 2.4 million metric tons incorporated into its gasoline and diesel in 2018, the company’s website states. The company has spent more than $595.6 million (EUR 500 million) on advanced biofuel research and development over the past ten years and has an ambition of becoming a leader in biofuels, its website highlights.

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