Ireland government publishes its 1st SAF policy roadmap

Ireland Department of Transport
Aug 25
2 min read

Ireland’s minister for transport, Darragh O’Brien, published Aug. 21 Ireland’s first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) policy roadmap, as committed to under the program for government.

The aviation sector faces a particular challenge to decarbonize.

The development and deployment of SAF will play a crucial role in helping Ireland reach its decarbonization goals, which will enable the country’s aviation industry to operate and develop in a sustainable manner.

To assist in the development of the roadmap, the transport department established the SAF taskforce in December 2023, bringing together key stakeholders with responsibility for and interest in SAF policy development and implementation.

The roadmap represents an important first step in developing Ireland’s national SAF policy, identifying a number of actions that will be built upon in future iterations, and setting a path for future SAF policy development.

“I am delighted to officially launch Ireland’s first sustainable aviation fuel policy roadmap,” O’Brien said. “Publication of this roadmap represents the realization of a clear commitment in our program for government. The roadmap recognizes the important contribution that sustainable aviation fuel can make toward decarbonizing the aviation industry and it aims to provide the building blocks for the deployment of SAF in Ireland.”

The roadmap identifies opportunities and barriers for Ireland in relation to aviation-fuel suppliers importing SAF, and exploring future potential production opportunities, taking existing national and EU policies into consideration.

The roadmap sets out four SAF policy pathways to advance: