Sasol, White Desert launch landmark commercial SAF partnership from Cape Town to Antarctica
Sasol announced Sept. 15 a landmark sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) partnership with White Desert, a significant milestone for African aviation and the country’s emerging lower-carbon fuels industry.
Announced at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit, the agreement will see Sasol’s first commercial SAF volumes supplied to White Desert for its Cape Town-to-Antarctica expeditions.
The partnership brings together South African technical expertise and customer demand to deliver practical lower-carbon solutions for aviation.
Enabled by Natref’s recent International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus sustainability certification, the agreement reinforces the role South African industry can play in the global transition to lower-carbon energy.
“Today’s announcement shows that South Africa is not waiting on the sidelines of the energy transition,” said Sarushen Pillay, an executive with Sasol. “We are building practical solutions that connect industrial capability, customer demand and innovation. Through our partnership with White Desert, we are demonstrating how sustainable fuels can move from ambition to commercial reality.”
The SAF supplied under the agreement is produced from sustainable biobased feedstocks and provides a steppingstone towards future eFuels enabled by green hydrogen.
These value chains can create new industrial opportunities while supporting energy security, competitiveness and decarbonization.
White Desert, renowned for its luxury Antarctic expeditions from Cape Town, will use the fuel for its aviation operations between South Africa and Antarctica.
“It is incredible to now be able to source sustainable fuel in South Africa, made locally and with real carbon emission reductions,” said Patrick Woodhead, the CEO and founder of White Desert. “We are excited to be using this for our flights to Antarctica and being at the forefront of getting to net zero.”
Speaking to Sasol’s broader SAF ambition, Pillay added, “We do not decarbonize aviation by abandoning existing industrial assets, but by transforming them. South Africa has the fuels infrastructure, technical capability and export relationships needed to participate meaningfully in this market. Bio-SAF is the first proof point of that conversion, and a bridge to the eFuels economy that follows. This is an exciting milestone for South Africa, for aviation and for the future of sustainable fuels.”
