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Air France–KLM increases its order of SAF from TotalEnergies

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France-based TotalEnergies and Air France–KLM have signed a new agreement that will see the airline buy up to a million and a half tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over a decade.

This will commence next year. Traditional oil companies like TotalEnergies, which also makes lubricants like the Total turbine oil, have been developing SAF as a drop-in replacement for conventional aviation fuel. Used pure, it can reduce life cycle carbon dioxide emissions by 90%, but it is currently expensive to produce due to an undeveloped market for it.

Nevertheless, it can be blended with conventional aviation fuel to reduce overall emissions, and the new agreement will help TotalEnergies establish better economies of scale.

TotalEnergies CEO and Chairman Patrick Pouyanné said that SAF contributes to both the transition of its industrial refineries and the energy transition of its aviation customers, creating a win-win scenario for both parties. He added:

“For the past 10 years, we have been pioneers in the field, investing in biorefineries and SAF production facilities in France, as well as developing coprocessing technologies in our refineries. Building on these industrial successes, we intend to continue this momentum in Europe and worldwide.”

The new agreement builds upon an earlier memorandum of understanding for TotalEnergies to deliver 800,000 tons of SAF to Air France–KLM. Compared to 2019 levels, the airline has committed to reducing its emissions by 30% for every kilometre travelled by a passenger, and using more SAF will be an important element in achieving this goal.

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