Taiwan, South Korea Push Alcohol-to-Jet as Asia Next SAF Pathway

by Samyak Pandey (S&P Global) Taiwan, South Korea push alcohol-to-jet SAF tech; Taiwan's SAF demand to reach 182,000 mt by 2030; Asia-Pacific ATJ capacity to hit 4 mil mt by 2030

Alcohol-to-jet technology is gaining commercial traction in Taiwan and South Korea as both markets position ethanol-based sustainable aviation fuel as the pathway best suited to overcome domestic feedstock constraints, with policy developments and industry engagement accelerating across the region even as analysts warn that demand-side mandates remain the critical missing piece.

Taiwan's sustainable aviation fuel demand could reach 182,000 mt by 2030 under a 5% blending mandate, while South Korea hosted a July 2-3 conference on biofuels and SAF that highlighted alcohol-to-jet's role in meeting the country's 2030 blending targets, according to the US Grains and BioProducts Council (USGBC).

The parallel momentum in both markets reflects a broader strategic shift across Asia-Pacific, where rising electric vehicle adoption is expected to free ethanol currently blended into gasoline and ease concerns over future waste-based oil-derived feedstock constraints that threaten to limit hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids production.

Taiwan has completed its national standard for E10 ethanol-blended gasoline, establishing a regulatory framework that could accelerate bioethanol adoption in its transport sector as policymakers seek to reduce carbon emissions and enhance energy security.

The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection under the Ministry of Economic Affairs officially announced two national standards for E10 ethanol gasoline, CNS 12614 for unleaded gasoline and CNS 15109 for denatured fuel ethanol, marking a new stage in Taiwan's ethanol gasoline policy.

"Alcohol-to-jet is the next technology to scale after HEFA," Flyn van Ewijk, LanzaJet's regional director for Asia Pacific, said. "As we get more EVs on the roads, you're going to have more ethanol available for SAF."

Sustainable aviation fuel producers across Asia-Pacific must aggressively diversify away from used cooking oil toward palm residues, non-edible oilseed crops, microalgae, and alcohol-to-jet pathways, experts said warning that reliance on a narrow feedstock base represents the biggest structural risk facing new SAF projects. READ MORE

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) to jointly promote the development of ethanol in the region through mutual knowledge exchange and technical cooperation.

USGBC Vice President Cary Sifferath signed the document on behalf of the Council with USGBC Director in Taiwan Michael Lu, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Deputy Chief Steven Burgoon and AIT Economic Officer Ann Ku in observance.

“As TSC is Taiwan’s largest corporate pig farm, pork supplier and a user of U.S. corn, it maintains fermentation infrastructure and technical expertise for ethanol production, making it one of the few domestic entities capable of doing so,” Sifferath said in his opening remarks.

“Through this collaboration, we aim to explore the potential of using imported U.S. corn as a feedstock for ethanol production in Taiwan, and the possibility of leveraging its storage capacity to import U.S. ethanol.”

Lu added that following the Council’s 2024 MOU with CPC Corporation, a major energy company in Taiwan, this new partnership with TSC marked another important step toward developing bioethanol applications in Taiwan.

After the signing ceremony, the delegations traveled to Tainan for a tour of TSC’s headquarters, including its ethanol testing and production facilities, to demonstrate the company’s leadership in Taiwan’s biofuel sector.

Sifferath and Lu also attended the Taiwan Sustainable Aviation Forum, where industry stakeholders discussed Taiwan’s aspirations to reach net-zero aviation emissions and how sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can make that goal a reality.

“The Council will continue collaborating with both companies through technical exchanges, stable feedstock support and pilot projects to advance biofuel applications, strengthen Taiwan’s energy resilience and support its net-zero transition goals,” Lu said. READ MORE