IOCL Panipat Powers India's Green Aviation Push

Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL), the country’s largest oil refiner, is set to commence production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Panipat refinery in Haryana this December.

The new facility will have an annual production capacity of 35,000 tonnes—sufficient to meet India’s SAF blending requirement for international flights by 2027. The plant will use used cooking oil (UCO) as its primary feedstock, capitalizing on India’s established UCO collection and aggregation infrastructure.

IOCL’s Panipat unit has secured ISCC CORSIA certification, making it the only certified SAF facility in India currently using UCO. The certification is valid for one year.

India has adopted a phased SAF blending mandate, requiring one percent blending by 2027 and two percent by 2028. While SAF is currently priced at nearly three times that of conventional aviation turbine fuel (ATF), IOCL Chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney stated that airlines will comply due to regulatory obligations. He also noted that IOCL is open to exploring export opportunities should domestic demand fall short.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.