Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. is 1st in Middle East to receive ISCC certification for SAF production

Photo: ADNOC

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. announced Oct. 3 its Ruwais Refinery has received certification by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System GmbH for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), making it the first company in the Middle East to earn the distinction.

This important milestone underscores ADNOC’s commitment to collaborating with its customers to accelerate their decarbonization journeys, the company stated.

The ISCC EU/CORSIA Plus certification for coprocessing enables ADNOC to supply its SAF to international airlines at Abu Dhabi Airport.

It is produced from used cooking oil (UCO) feedstock and blended with jet fuel at ADNOC’s Ruwais Refinery.

The first batch, enough to fuel a return 787-10 Dreamliner flight from Abu Dhabi to Paris, will be available later this month.

“The development of sustainable aviation fuel is a key part of our strategy to deliver lower-carbon fuels to our customers,” said Sultan Al Bigishi, ADNOC Refining’s acting CEO. “We are committed to supporting the aviation industry’s effort to ramp up the use of sustainable aviation fuel as one of the key pillars to decarbonize air travel.”

ADNOC Global Trading is responsible for sourcing suitable biobased feedstocks from the market into refinery operations.

“As our face to the market, trading can ramp up these activities to supply global and domestic customers with lower-carbon and more sustainable alternative fuels, products and feedstocks,” the company stated.

Ahmad Bin Thalith, CEO of ADNOC Global Trading, added, “This certification is an important step forward on our sustainability journey and will open up a whole host of new opportunities both in the United Arab Emirates and beyond. Trading biofuels enables ADNOC to offer our global and domestic customers more sustainable alternatives. As first adopters in the region, we are well-placed to meet the drive in market demand for these sought-after, internationally certified products.”

SAF is produced from lower-carbon feedstocks such as UCO and is very similar in its chemical composition to conventional jet fuel, thus serving as a drop-in fuel.

It represents one of the most effective solutions to decarbonizing aviation, and ADNOC is working to include SAF in its portfolio in response to customer demand, contributing to aviation sustainability.

ADNOC said it “continues to take transformative steps to make today’s energy cleaner while investing in the clean energies of tomorrow to strengthen its position as a reliable and responsible global energy provider.”

It supports the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, and has advanced its own net zero ambition by five years, to 2045.