Singapore Signs Up For ICAO’s SAF Development Program

SINGAPORE—Singapore has signed on to the ICAO assistance, capacity-building and training on sustainable aviation fuel (ACT-SAF) program, as the island state prepares to become a regional SAF hub.

Singapore is the first country in Asia to sign up to ACT-SAF. Fellow signatories to date are Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, the European Commission, France and Spain. Many other countries and organizations have expressed their intention to join the program, which encourages global cooperation to spur the widespread development of SAF.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) says Singapore will provide experts and resources to ACT-SAF to share its expertise and experience. Specifically, CAAS says it can advise on setting up an international advisory panel on SAF to engage industry and governments, as well as how to adopt an ecosystem approach and how to catalyze public-private collaboration to drive implementation.

Singapore is expected to be one of the world’s largest producers of SAF following the completion of Neste’s SAF plant—which will have capacity to produce 1 million metric tons annually. Shell Aviation is mulling the development of a similar facility in Singapore and expects to make a decision before the end of the year.

Through ACT-SAF, Singapore expects to receive support from participating countries in areas such as policy and regulation, industry development, and technology, which will help in the development and deployment of SAF in Singapore.

“This multilateral collaboration complements what we are already doing at the national level through initiatives like developing the Sustainable Air Hub Blueprint and bilaterally with countries like New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States,” CAAS Director General Han Kok Juan said. “They are mutually reinforcing and add momentum to the overall decarbonization effort.”