Total, Aramco joint venture completes Middle East’s 1st conversion of UCO to ISCC Plus-certified SAF

Total Energies announced Oct. 30 that the Saudi Aramco Total Energies Refining and Petrochemical Co. (SATORP) platform, jointly owned by Aramco (62.5 percent) and Total Energies (37.5 percent), has for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region successfully converted used cooking oil through coprocessing into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System’s ISCC Plus designation.

Last August, the platform successfully coprocessed used cooking oil in the low-pressure hydrodesulphurization unit (LPHDS), producing SAF, meeting all product-quality parameters within the SAF specifications.

Total Energies said it contributed to this achievement as a result of its experience and expertise with hydrotreated biofuel production.

SATORP has now received ISCC Plus certification to produce SAF.

With this certification, the platform will be able to respond the expected rise in SAF demand in Saudi Arabia.

SAF produced from UCO reduces CO2 emissions by at least 80 percent on average over the entire lifecycle compared with their fossil equivalent.

With this success, Total Energies—through its platform located in Jubail, Saudi Arabia—said it continues to develop its portfolio of circular products.

SATORP has previously announced converting oil derived from plastic waste into ISCC Plus-certified circular polymers.

“This project at SATORP is part of Total Energies’ aim to produce 1.5 million tons per year of SAF by 2030,” said Francois Good, an executive with Total Energies’ refining business in the regions of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is essential to reducing the CO2 emissions of air transport, and its development is fully aligned with the company’s climate ambition to get to net zero by 2050, together with society,” Good added.

SATORP is the first such joint venture between the two energy companies and was established in June 2008 to build a refining and petrochemical complex in Jubail II industrial city.

The refinery, whose capacity increased from 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil at its start up in 2014 to 460,000 bpd today, is recognized as one of the most efficient in the world, according to Total Energies.