September 20, 2024

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A vessel carrying CORSIA-certified sustainable aviation fuel produced by GS Caltex unloads the fuel into aviation tanks for Narita Airport at the Port of Chiba, Japan, on Sept. 13. (GS Caltex)

South Korean oil refiner GS Caltex said Thursday that it has supplied some 5,000 kiloliters of sustainable aviation fuel to Japan’s Narita International Airport, as part of its efforts to expand its carbon reduction business.

The fuel was produced by GS Caltex by blending conventional aviation fuel with sustainable aviation fuel provided by Neste, a leading biofuel producer in Finland. The supply deal was facilitated by Japanese trading company Itochu.

Narita Airport plans to sell the fuel to local air carriers such as All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, it said.

GS Caltex has earned certification for its sustainable aviation fuel from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification, ensuring it meets global sustainability standards. The certification covers all stages of the fuel’s production process, confirming its compliance with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, also known as CORSIA, established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN specialized agency.

The CORSIA criteria for sustainable aviation fuel include: reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by 10 percent compared to conventional fossil-based jet fuel, not causing direct land-use change and providing broader environmental, social and local economic benefits.

For this initiative, GS Caltex began preparation last year in partnership with Neste and Itochu, anticipating the ICAO’s 2027 mandate for carbon emissions reduction in the aviation sector. Airlines using CORSIA-certified sustainable aviation fuel will have their carbon reductions officially recognized by the ICAO.

“This is an example of how we have proactively identified the decarbonization trends in the global aviation industry and responded to customer demands by building a new value chain with the support of both the Korean and Japanese governments and the expertise of various partners,” said Lee Seung-hoon, vice president of GS Caltex.

Lee added that the company plans to expand collaboration further with a variety of partners and continue selling CORSIA-certified sustainable aviation fuel commercially.

Beyond aviation fuel, GS Caltex is also focused on developing a broader biofuel value chain, including bio-marine fuel, biodiesel and biochemicals, to strengthen its presence in the global biofuel market.

In August 2023, GS Bio, a subsidiary of GS Caltex, secured ISCC -- International Sustainability and Carbon Certification -- EU certification, recognizing the sustainability and environmental impact of its entire process, from sourcing raw materials for bio-marine fuel, to production and sales, as well as the procurement and sale of sustainable aviation fuel.

By Hwang Joo-young (flylikekite@heraldcorp.com)