Fuel’s gold: Bangchak to fry high with sustainable jet fuel from cooking oil

Bangchak Corporation, one of the big dogs on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), is turbocharging its efforts to collect used cooking oil, aiming to transform it into sustainable jet fuel (SAF) by next year—a first-class upgrade for greener skies.

BSGF, Bangchak’s SAF-producing brainchild, has penned a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with New Biodiesel to scoop up used cooking oil from the southern provinces. But that’s not all! Bangchak has snapped up a 45% stake in Thanachok Vegetable Oil (2012) Co, New Biodiesel’s parent company, which excels in palm oil production and gathering spent cooking oil, said Thamarat Paryoonsuk, the top exec in charge of refinery and oil trading at Bangchak

“The MoU is a nod to the circular economy.”

In this eco-friendly economy, waste like cooking oil is recycled into high-value products, making Mother Nature smile. Thamarat stressed that this move doesn’t just drum up value but also minimises the environmental havoc caused by improper waste disposal.

“We’re slashing the careless dumping of used cooking oil, a blight on the environment.”

SAF, as Thamarat explained, is the eco-friendly star of the show. Made from used cooking oil and agricultural scraps, this biofuel offers a green alternative to traditional jet fuel, boasting a cleaner carbon footprint.

Cooking oil

Bangchak already secured deals with 17 firms—many in the food and restaurant game—to buy up their used cooking oil. Among these partners are Five Star Chicken Co, S&P Syndicate, and Singapore-listed Thai Beverage.

The company also sets its sights on small food shops and street food vendors, offering 20 baht per litre. This all ties into their Fry to Fly campaign, or tod mai ting in Thai, championing proper disposal to dodge pollution and health hazards tied to reused oil.

Bangchak’s splashing out on a 10-billion-baht SAF factory near its oil refinery in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong district. Set to churn out a staggering 1 million litres a day, this plant is slated to take off in commercial operations by the first quarter of next year, with its SAF earmarked for sale to Sumitomo Corporation, a Japanese chemical powerhouse. The exact amount heading Sumitomo’s way remains hush-hush for now, Bangkok Post reported

This SAF push is Bangchak’s bold ace up its sleeve on the path to carbon neutrality by 2030, marching in step with the International Air Transport Association’s Fly Net Zero campaign.

Watch this space—the skies are going green!