Indian Oil’s Panipat Refinery in Haryana has become India’s first certified producer of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), a landmark development in the country’s efforts to make aviation cleaner and more sustainable. The refinery is poised to begin production soon, adhering to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) CORSIA standards, with an annual capacity of 30 million litres.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Saturday described the certification as a “milestone under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi ji towards India's commitment to sustainable aviation.” He added that with more such facilities expected across the country, India is well placed to achieve its target of blending at least 1 per cent SAF in all international flights by 2027, significantly reducing the aviation sector’s carbon footprint.
Situated roughly 90 kilometres north of New Delhi, the Panipat Refinery is one of India’s major oil processing units. Established in 1998, it currently processes 15 million tonnes of crude oil annually and is undergoing expansion to increase its capacity to 25 million tonnes per annum. The refinery’s new capability to produce SAF represents a vital step in repurposing waste oils, such as used cooking oil, into cleaner aviation fuel.
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The move aligns with India’s wider strategy of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and cutting emissions. Ethanol blending in petrol has already seen rapid progress, rising from 1.53 per cent in 2014 to 10 per cent by 2022, ahead of schedule. The original goal to reach 20 per cent ethanol blending by 2030 was accelerated to 2025 and has been met in the current supply year.
Ethanol production has surged from 380 million litres in 2014 to over 6.6 billion litres by mid-2025, helping India save around Rs 1.36 lakh crore in foreign exchange by reducing crude oil imports. While ethanol blending has been introduced for petrol, efforts to blend it with diesel remain experimental and are not yet mandatory.
The SAF certification comes amid India’s ambitious climate commitments, outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2021 COP26 summit. These include increasing non-fossil fuel electricity capacity to 500 GW, generating half of all energy from renewables, cutting emissions intensity of GDP by 45 per cent, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
By converting used cooking oil and other waste feedstocks into jet fuel, the Panipat Refinery is pioneering India’s transition towards greener aviation, supporting both energy security and environmental sustainability.
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