Singapore launches $90 million SAF and renewables research program

Singapore has allocated $90 million research program focusing on the production of green chemicals and fuels like sustainable aviation fuel, the National Research Foundation said.

The Create Thematic Program in Decarbonization is a "large-scale, but ambitious and synergistic" initiative, said Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, the permanent secretary for national research and development, in a statement from NRF on July 22.

While Singapore predominantly relies on natural gas for its electricity generation, it is looking to make decarbonize it's economy by importing sustainable electricity from its neighbors, and pursuing other clean energy alternatives, including hydrogen, geothermal energy, nuclear technology, as well as carbon capture and utilization, he said.

The new program by the National Research Foundation consists of nine research projects, each with a duration of between three and five years.

Moreover, the research work will cover four main domains: from hydrogen utilization to hydrogen combustion technologies; green chemistry, such as the sustainable conversion of biomass to chemicals and biofuels; synthetic biology, such as by engineering microbes to convert carbon dioxide into chemicals and biofuels; and chemical transformation, which involves developing net-zero pathways of producing top molecules for pharmaceutical applications.

The program will contribute towards building Singapore's capacity in hydrogen utilization, developing new insights on the combustion behaviors of zero-carbon fuel blends, and building ammonia-ready fuel cells for power generation.

In April, a new $60 million corporate lab was launched by NTU, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research and ExxonMobil to further research into biofuels, carbon capture and storage and hydrogen.

SAF will account for 0.61% of global aviation fuel consumption in 2024, up from 0.31% in 2023, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights. This is expected to rise to 3.24% in 2040 and 24.06% in 2050, with volumes reaching 2.2 million b/d from 20,000 b/d in 2023.

Platts, part of Commodity Insights, assessed SAF production costs (palm fatty acid distillate) in Southeast Asia at $1,624.26/mt on July 22, up $4.02/mt for the day.