India’s biomass feedstock for SAF could reach 100m tonnes by 2030, study finds

India has the potential to become a major hub for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in South Asia, with available biomass feedstock projected to hit 100 million tonnes by 2030, according to new research.
The study, carried out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in partnership with Worley Consulting, said SAF is critical for cutting carbon emissions in global aviation.
However, current production is only around two million tonnes a year, compared with an estimated requirement of almost 500 million tonnes by 2050 if the industry is to achieve net zero.
India’s feedstock resources include sugar- and starch-based ethanol, waste oils such as used cooking oil and tallow, agricultural residues, forestry by-products and municipal solid waste.
Together, these could provide around 100 million tonnes of raw material by 2030 and 150 million tonnes by 2050. The study noted that non-food energy crops could further expand this supply.
Agricultural residues are expected to make up the largest share in 2030, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the feedstock potential, followed by forestry residues and waste wood at 16 per cent and municipal waste at about 7 per cent.
IATA said India’s experience with ethanol blending and supportive government policy could position it as a leading producer in the region.
The country is already the world’s third-largest ethanol producer and plans to expand by increasing output from sugarcane juice and starch-rich crops such as maize and cassava.
On a global scale, the study suggested that biomass feedstock potential could surpass 12 billion tonnes by 2050.
However, competing uses mean that less than 35 per cent would realistically be available for bioenergy and biofuels, leaving enough to support just over 300 million tonnes of SAF production.
IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh said turning this potential into large-scale SAF production would depend on policy makers and the energy sector working together to support investment and infrastructure.