In 2023, China's aviation kerosene consumption will be about 38.83 million tons, and the direct carbon emissions will exceed 12.3 billion tons, accounting for about 1% of the country's total carbon emissions. In the context of "dual carbon", sustainable aviation fuel is currently the most feasible key path for carbon reduction in the aviation industry.
It is understood that the EU has made it clear that the blending ratio of sustainable aviation fuel will be 2% from 2025 and increased to 6% in 2030, and it is planned that from 2027, flights to Europe must meet the requirements of sustainable aviation fuel blending, otherwise a fine of 2 times the price difference between sustainable aviation fuel and fossil aviation fuel will be imposed. The United States has issued similar pledges. Sustainable aviation fuel has formed a global consensus, China's aviation market is developing strongly, and the aviation industry is facing severe challenges in carbon emission reduction.
Mo Dingge, deputy to the National People's Congress, chairman and secretary of the Party Committee of Sinopec Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd., said that from a domestic point of view, Sinopec has developed a bio-jet fuel production technology with independent intellectual property rights, and China's first 100,000-ton-a-year bio-jet fuel industrial unit has been produced on a large scale in Zhenhai Refining & Chemical, and has won Asia's first global RSB biomass sustainable aviation fuel certification. Compared with traditional petroleum-based jet fuel, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd.'s bio-jet fuel produced with gutter oil as the main raw material can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 70% in the whole life cycle. However, the supply and demand market of China's sustainable aviation fuel industry has not been fully activated, the policy guidance is unclear, 90% of the export of waste oil raw materials has led to a shortage of domestic **, and the relevant fiscal and tax systems of the whole industry chain have not yet been perfected.
In this regard, Mo Dingge put forward relevant suggestions for building a sustainable aviation fuel industry system that fits China's actual situation
The first is to accelerate the establishment of a large-scale and efficient system for bio-based raw materials such as waste oils and fats. At present, bio-based raw materials mainly rely on local enterprises and institutions to sell them, and the resources are scattered and the market supervision is difficult. It is recommended to strengthen the qualification certification of bio-based raw material enterprises, encourage central enterprises, state-owned enterprises and large private enterprises with large-scale processing capacity to participate in the raw material business, strengthen control and policy adjustment from the aspects of product standards and export tax rebate policies, control the export of waste oils and fats, improve the supply of raw materials, and improve industrial concentration and the overall planning ability of bio-based raw material resources.
The second is to accelerate the establishment of China's independent and controllable sustainable certification system. Independently establish and improve the whole life cycle carbon emission accounting method and standard based on the current situation and production process of China's sustainable aviation fuel resources, the renewable raw materials and fuel database that can be traced and traced, as well as the sustainable fuel evaluation standards, product standards, certification specification system, airworthiness certification standards, etc., to achieve international mutual recognition and break the status quo of sustainable certification and life cycle carbon emission accounting being controlled by others.
The third is to improve the industrial policy support system and promote the healthy development of the sustainable aviation fuel industry. With reference to the relevant policies of domestic bioethanol and biodiesel, we will further improve the tax support policies for the sustainable aviation fuel industry chain, provide appropriate financial subsidies to all links of the industrial chain such as the R&D and production of qualified sustainable aviation fuel technologies, and encourage the technical research and development of multi-route raw materials such as agricultural and forestry waste; Formulate a roadmap for carbon emission reduction in the aviation industry, put forward mandatory or guided targets and plans for the proportion of sustainable aviation fuel blending, establish and improve the SAF carbon certificate trading system and operation system, and integrate the civil aviation industry into the national carbon trading market to support the healthy development of the green and sustainable fuel product industry.
Text丨 Compiled by reporter Wu Li.
Edit|Guo Ruijun.