How Nigeria can be on frontline of biojet fuel amid rising global demand

AS the global demand for biojet fuel takes off, Nigeria stands at a crossroads of an aviation evolution to take the lead in the expanding global demand for biojet fuel.

With an increasing focus on sustainable aviation, the nation is urged to gear up to position for the eco- friendly fuel revolution.

Stakeholders are optimistic about Nigeria’s potential to make significant contributions to the aviation industry’s green transition, harnessing its resources with proper policies to propel biojet fuel production and establish a strong presence on the international stage.

Projections of a nearly one per cent share in global jet fuel supplies by 2028 present a unique opportunity for Nigeria to explore and harness the potential of biojet fuel in its aviation sector.

While the United States, Europe, and Japan spearhead this surge, Nigeria can position itself strategically to tap into the growing demand.

Experts made it known that For Nigeria to be a significant player in this scenario, attention must be given to effective policy implementation.

In embracing the biojet fuel revolution, Nigeria has the opportunity not only to contribute to global sustainability efforts but also to enhance the resilience and efficiency of its aviation sector.

According to the International Energy Agency ( IEA), biojet fuel use globally is expected to expand by nearly 5 billion litres, making up almost one per cent of global jet fuel supplies by 2028.

“We have revised the forecast upwards 20 per cent in the main case and 40 per cent in the accelerated case to reflect new policy announcements and a robust project pipeline,” it stated. Speaking with The Guardian on how Nigeria can be on the frontline of Biojet fuel as demand surges globally, Public affairs analyst, oil and gas consultant, Chuks Emeka mentioned that although the country possesses a significant amount of crude oil, its primary hurdle lies in the non- functionality of the four refineries.

He added that despite the Dangote refinery starting operations, it’s not enough to help tap into the global demand for aviation fuel.

To address this, he urged the government to ensure all four existing refineries should be operational, and empower modular refineries with crude supply to produce essential distillates with a focus on producing diesel and aviation fuel to meet global demands.

Emeka emphasised the necessity of overhauling existing refineries and supporting modular ones with crude supply to align with the surging demand.

To take a leading role in meeting the demand for aviation fuel, despite the abundant resources and cost- effective manpower available in the country, he urged Nigeria to ensure operational refineries, establish additional facilities, and address policy issues that currently hinder progress.

“I will encourage the Nigeria government to ensure the four refineries are working at their optimal level, then we can be able to meet the demand because the truth is that there is going to be high demand for aviation fuel across the globe as times goes on, so Nigeria can play a bigger role in this by bringing out these distillates most especially aviation fuel so that country like Brazil and other dollar countries can begin to come to Nigeria to buy refined products,” he said.

Chuks pointed out that while some African countries are selling aviation fuel, Nigeria is missing out due to policymakers who lack a grasp of the industry dynamics and fail to comprehend the existing demand

Chief Executive Officer, Diary Hills Limited, Kelvin Emmanuel, stated that Nigeria currently imports 500 million liters of bio- grade ethanol annually. He added that to access bio- grade Jet A1 markets, the country must achieve a backward integration target of incorporating at least 70 per cent of its biograde ethanol into Jet A1.

“Impressive that for the first time in more than 30- Years, the country is going to reach commercial capacity for refining its own crude oil into middle distillates like Jet A1, the next step is to ensure that the country can produce enough cassava tubers and corn to build feedstock capacity for processing into bio- grade ethanol that is required to achieve environmental friendly grade Jet A1,” he said.