Aramco teams up with TotalEnergies and Saudi Investment Recycling Company on potential sustainable aviation fuels plant

Aramco, one of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, TotalEnergies, a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies, and Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC), a major player that collects and turns organic materials into sustainable products in Saudi Arabia, today (Dec. 3) announced the signing of a Joint Development and Cost Sharing Agreement (JDCSA) to assess the potential development of a sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) plant in the Kingdom. 

The announcement coincides with a state visit by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to Saudi Arabia, and the collaboration aims to leverage each company’s respective areas of excellence and expertise to develop the SAF production plant in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province. 

The assessment will focus on harnessing innovative engineering and technology solutions that seek to recycle and process local waste or residues from the circular economy (used cooking oils and animal fats) to produce SAF.

With demand for air travel forecast to grow, it’s becoming imperative to address aviation emissions through lower-carbon alternatives. This is where major global energy companies like Aramco and TotalEnergies can play a part, by collaborating to help meet this need.
— Amin Nasser, Aramco president and CEO

“Addressing transport emissions requires a wide range of approaches and Aramco is pursuing a number of potential innovative solutions, as we seek opportunities to contribute to global emissions reduction efforts,” Nasser added. “We already have a well-established partnership with TotalEnergies and this new collaboration demonstrates our intent to explore ways to leverage our combined strengths, in this case with a view to establishing a SAF plant in the Kingdom with SIRC. As Saudi Arabia’s tourism and aviation sectors expand, this could potentially benefit both domestic and international airlines.”

Patrick Pouyanné, TotalEnergies chairman and CEO, said: “We are delighted to partner with Aramco and SIRC to study the production of SAF in the Kingdom. By leveraging our expertise, we can take a further step towards the decarbonization of air transport together. SAF is at the heart of our company's transition strategy as we strive to meet the aviation industry's demand to reduce its carbon footprint.”

Ziad Al-Sheha, SIRC CEO, said: “In keeping with our commitment to supporting the ambitious sustainability objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative, we have a keen focus on increasing waste conversion rates into renewable resources. The new partnership with Aramco and TotalEnergies to assess the feasibility of a renewable aviation fuels plant signifies a major leap forward in our mission. We also believe it will enrich and energize our efforts to lead the development of the Kingdom’s circular economy.”

Caption for the top photo: French President Emmanuel Macron and HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Energy, witness the announcement of the agreement. Also in the photo, from left: Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention; Patrick Pouyanné, TotalEnergies chairman and CEO; Amin Nasser, Aramco president and CEO; H.E. Majid Al-Qasabi, Minister of Commerce (accompanying minister); and H.E. Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Investment.