Topsoe secures technology contract for Bharat Petroleum’s SAF project in India
Topsoe, a leading global provider of advanced energy-transition solutions for producing clean and conventional fuels and chemicals, announced Oct. 14 that it has signed a licensing agreement with Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd., an Indian public-sector oil-and-gas company, to provide its kerosene-hydrotreating technology for coprocessing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at BPCL’s Mumbai Refinery.
Under the agreement, BPCL will revamp its existing 4,000-metric-ton-per-day kerosene-hydrotreater unit to coprocess 5 percent renewable feedstock, in the form of used cooking oil, alongside conventional feedstock.
Using Topsoe’s kerosene-hydrotreating technology, BPCL will produce SAF within its existing refinery infrastructure without the need for a new dedicated SAF production unit.
The project builds on the two-decade-long relationship between Topsoe and BPCL.
Having achieved final-investment decision (FID), the facility revamp is already underway, with commissioning expected by the end of 2026.
The SAF produced will be supplied to airlines refueling international passenger flights at Indian airports as the nation builds its domestic SAF ecosystem ahead of mandatory compliance with the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation in 2027.
India has committed to SAF blending targets of 1 percent for international flights by 2027, 2 percent by 2028 and 5 percent by 2030.
“India is an important and growing market for SAF, and we are pleased to support Bharat Petroleum in taking this step towards increasing its SAF production capacity,” said Alok Verma, Topsoe’s managing director for the Asia-Pacific region.
“This project demonstrates how Topsoe’s technology can provide a practical route for refiners to begin SAF production, without significant modifications to existing infrastructure, while at the same time the coprocessing of conventional and renewable feedstocks increases flexibility for fuel producers,” Verma added.
Sankar Manikkam, the executive director of BPCL’s Mumbai Refinery, added, “As India advances its journey towards net-zero emissions in scope 1 and scope 2 by 2040 and accelerates its energy transition, SAF will play a pivotal role in decarbonizing the aviation sector. We are pleased to further strengthen our collaboration with Topsoe, whose proven technology will support BPCL in expanding its SAF production capabilities. This project marks an important step towards building a robust domestic SAF ecosystem, strengthening India’s energy security and enabling a cleaner and more sustainable future for air transport.”
Topsoe’s coprocessing solution uses kerosene-hydrotreating infrastructure to produce SAF by replacing a portion of conventional feedstock with renewable feedstock.
Up to 5 percent renewable feedstock can be coprocessed in an existing kerosene hydrotreater, providing a fast-track route to SAF production without major modifications to the refinery.
