Arabian Post Staff -Dubai
The proposal was examined at the 95th meeting of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Council members reviewed how locally available waste could provide feedstock for lower-carbon jet fuel while supporting Dubai’s circular economy and reducing the volume of material sent for disposal.
The initiative remains at the feasibility stage, with no production capacity, investment value, technology provider or completion timetable disclosed. Any commercial project would require studies covering the availability and composition of organic waste, fuel-processing technology, lifecycle emissions, certification standards, plant location and links to airport fuel infrastructure.
Sustainable aviation fuel, commonly known as SAF, can be manufactured from materials including used cooking oil, agricultural residues, municipal waste, biomass and synthetic fuels produced with renewable energy. It is blended with conventional jet fuel and can be used in existing aircraft, engines and airport distribution systems without major modifications.
Depending on the feedstock and production method, SAF can cut lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by about 80 per cent compared with conventional aviation fuel. Its climate benefit comes primarily from replacing fossil-derived carbon with renewable or recycled inputs rather than eliminating emissions from aircraft engines during flight.
Producing the fuel from organic waste could create an additional market for materials that would otherwise be landfilled, composted or processed through other waste-management systems. It could also connect Dubai’s aviation, energy and municipal sectors through a supply chain covering waste collection, sorting, conversion, refining, certification, blending and distribution.
The proposal supports federal plans to establish the UAE as a regional centre for low-carbon aviation fuels. The national SAF policy seeks to develop annual domestic production capacity of 700 million litres by 2030 and encourage research, investment, exports and the construction of storage and distribution infrastructure.
A voluntary target calls for domestically produced SAF to account for at least 1 per cent of the fuel supplied to UAE airlines at the country’s airports by 2031. The policy also provides for progressively higher supply objectives as production capacity, commercial demand and the regulatory framework develop.
Dubai is well placed to test the commercial case because of its large aviation industry, established fuel infrastructure and expanding waste-processing capacity. Dubai International is among the world’s busiest airports for international passengers, while Emirates operates a major long-haul network from the emirate. These operations create substantial demand for aviation fuel and could provide producers with potential long-term customers.
Emirates has already tested and used SAF blends on selected flights, including demonstration operations designed to assess engine performance and compatibility. Such flights have shown that sustainable fuel can be deployed using existing aircraft technology, although large-scale adoption continues to depend on availability and price.
Cost remains the principal obstacle. SAF accounts for less than 1 per cent of global jet fuel consumption and can cost several times more than petroleum-based fuel. Production is constrained by limited supplies of suitable waste oils and residues, expensive processing technology, certification requirements and the high capital cost of new facilities.
Global SAF output is expected to reach about 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, equivalent to roughly 0.8 per cent of annual jet fuel use. Supply would need to expand more than 250-fold to approach the volumes required for aviation’s net-zero pathway by 2050.
Organic waste also presents technical challenges because its composition, moisture content and energy value can vary. Developers must ensure that feedstock collection is reliable and that claimed emission savings include transport, processing and conversion. International certification rules also require traceability and safeguards covering land use, biodiversity, water consumption and carbon accounting.
The council reviewed the SAF proposal while approving Dubai’s greenhouse gas emissions results for 2025. Officials linked the emirate’s declining carbon footprint to a growing share of clean energy, more efficient electricity and water use, operational improvements and wider adoption of environmentally friendly vehicles.
Dubai’s broader energy programme includes solar power, battery storage, green hydrogen, waste-to-energy, recycling and energy-efficient buildings. The potential aviation-fuel project would add a higher-value conversion route for waste while attracting companies specialising in refining, biotechnology, gasification and synthetic fuels.
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