Brazil launches SAF programme

As part of the programme, a book-and-claim mechanism and certification system were set up to ensure compliance with national air transport decarbonisation targets, as airlines would face mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in 2027, the ‘Brazil: Biofuels Annual’ said.

Although at the time of the 2 September report, there was no domestic large-scale domestic SAF production in Brazil, approximately 15 SAF production projects were underway in the country, according to industry sources.

However, even the most advanced were in the early stages of implementation or production, the report said.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recognised Brazil’s significant potential to become a major SAF producer, given its abundant biomass resources, particularly sugarcane-based ethanol and vegetable oil feedstocks, the USDA said.

To achieve scale, IATA recommended that Brazil invested in conversion technologies, as well as the infrastructure and logistics needed to connect raw material supply with production facilities.

The association also called for clear public policies backed by firm financing mechanisms.

Since December 2025, Salvador Airport in Bahia had operated two daily flights using a blend of 10% SAF and 90% conventional fossil-based jet fuel, the highest SAF blend percentage in Brazilian commercial aviation, the USDA said.

Two of Brazil’s three major airlines were now operating these flights.

Operations were expected to continue through to December 2026, with total blended fuel supply projected to reach 5M litres for the year.

The SAF used was made from used cooking oil (UCO) co-processed with mineral kerosene, manufactured in Asia and imported by Vibra.

Other developments in the sector included an announcement by Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras in June 2026 that, in partnership with global agribusiness giant Bunge and Brazilian fuel distributor Vibra Energia (Vibra), it would produce and commercialise 4M litres of SAF containing 1% of renewable content sourced from Brazilian soya certified as having low indirect land use change (low-iLUC) risk under the international ISCC CORSIA PLUS protocol.

Bunge would handle the soya supply, certification and vegetable oil production at its crushing facility in Rondonópolis, in Mato Grosso state.

Energy company Acelen was also advancing SAF production plans in Brazil, the report said.

The company’s macaúba palm-based project was structured in two phases. In the first phase, SAF would be produced exclusively from soyabean oil and UCO, mainly targeting the European and US markets, with production from macaúba expected to begin in 2029.

In the second phase, Acelen planned to replace soyabean oil and UCO with co-products derived from macaúba.

To date, the company said off-take agreements, including six-year contracts, covered 90% of the first-phase SAF production, and it was pursuing fuel certification for macaúba-based SAF across multiple markets.

In May 2026, Acelen announced a US$1.5bn financing package, secured through public and private financial institutions and commercial banks, to build a biorefinery in São Francisco do Conde, Bahia.

The Brazilian government has said it aimed to meet 100% of national SAF demand through domestic production by 2029.