BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa has the technical potential to produce 3.2 to 4.5 billion litres of SAF annually, depending on the use of green hydrogen. The most cost-efficient route is the first-generation (1G) alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) pathway using sugarcane A-molasses, while the largest volume potential comes from invasive alien plants (IAPs) and garden waste via gasification and Fischer-Tropsch (GFT) synthesis. A domestic SAF industry could create over 100,000 direct green jobs, improve the national balance of trade by up to R159.5 billion per year, and provide alternative livelihoods for coal truckers in mining regions.

• South Africa's immediate technical potential for SAF production is 3.2 billion litres annually under strict sustainability requirements, which can increase to 4.5 billion litres per year if green hydrogen is integrated into the manufacturing process.
• The first-generation (1G) alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) pathway using sugarcane A-molasses is identified as the quickest and cheapest route for initial production, with a potential of over 300 million litres annually at an internationally competitive cost.
• Invasive alien plants (IAPs) and garden waste are the largest available lignocellulosic feedstocks, capable of producing 1.8 to 3 billion litres of SAF annually via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (Pathway 6a), which is the most economic route for these materials.
• The hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway using Solaris seeds could produce 1.1 billion litres of SAF per year and generate nearly 20,000 agricultural jobs.
• Third-generation (3G) ethanol produced from industrial off-gas could contribute an additional 80 to 116 million litres of SAF per year.
• A domestic SAF sector could create over 100,000 direct green jobs across the supply chain, including 20,000 farm workers and a significant number of IAP harvesters.
• The highest possible localisation of promising production pathways would generate 40,000 direct and 48,000 indirect jobs during construction, and 46,500 direct and 3,600 indirect jobs during the 20-year operational period.
• Developing a domestic SAF industry could create nearly 7,500 trucking jobs and over 800 support jobs, with approximately 3,800 of these positions located in coal-mining regions, potentially offsetting most coal-hauling jobs lost during the energy transition.
• Import substitution of jet-fuel and co-products could improve South Africa's balance of trade by R118 billion (US$7.9 billion) annually, while full export of all SAF could generate approximately R159.5 billion (US$10.6 billion) per year.
• Fischer-Tropsch-based pathways (5, 6a, and 6b) demonstrate the highest GHG emission-savings potential, saving more than 96% of emissions under RSB methodologies, provided that cleared IAP land is immediately restored.
• The 2G alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) pathway (Pathway 4) is the least viable lignocellulosic option in terms of both commercial viability and employment potential.

APA

Chireshe, F., Bole-Rentel, T., & Reeler, J. (2022). BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/saf_technical_report.pdf

Chicago

Chireshe, Farai, Tjaša Bole-Rentel, and James Reeler. BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA. WWF South Africa, 2022. https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/saf_technical_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chireshe |first1=Farai |last2=Bole-Rentel |first2=Tjaša |last3=Reeler |first3=James |title=BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA |publisher=WWF South Africa |date=2022 |url=https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/saf_technical_report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chireshe2022blueprint, author = {Chireshe, Farai and Bole-Rentel, Tjaša and Reeler, James}, title = {{BLUEPRINT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL (SAF) PRODUCTION POTENTIAL IN SOUTH AFRICA}}, institution = {WWF South Africa}, year = {2022}, url = {https://wwfafrica.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/saf_technical_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }