Author Image Posted By : admin 18 Jul, 2025

Interaction of Certification and Standards for e-SAF Production

Last week, I had the opportunity to present my paper “Interaction of Certification and Standards for e-SAF Production” at a conference hosted by the Florence School of Regulation. This research is part of my broader PhD work on the interaction between law and technology in the regulation of Power-to-X (PtX) technologies.

✅ Key Points of the Presentation:

📌 General requirements

  • To be used in aviation, e-SAF must be certified under either the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) or the CORSIA scheme, and blended with conventional jet fuel in accordance with international standards such as ASTM D7566 and Def Stan 91-091.

📌 Legal Framework

  • There is a lack of harmonization between the EU legal framework and international aviation fuel standards.
  • The definition of SAF in the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation does not align with the definition used in international standards.

📌 Certification

  • Particular attention should be given to the concept of “dual conformance” — i.e., a single batch of SAF being compliant with two different certification schemes (such as EU RED and CORSIA).
  • The coexistence of two certification schemes – EU RED and CORSIA within the EU raises questions about the feasibility of such dual conformance, a concept that is not yet defined under EU law.

☑️ Conclusion

  • A harmonized and coherent legal framework is essential for scaling up e-SAF production and deployment in aviation.
  • Aligning EU regulations with international safety and sustainability standards will help remove existing regulatory barriers and support the widespread adoption of e-SAF across the EU.
Maryna Hritsyshyna. Interaction of certification and standards for e-SAF production
GHG Emissions: aviation emits about 3% of global carbon dioxide, about 96% of GHG emissions in aviation belong to the large airplanes. Sustainable aviation fuel: a solution for medium and long-haul airplanes, allow reducing carbon emissions by 50-80% in comparison with the conventional fuel.
Interaction and impact of laws and standards for e-SAF production
ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation. SAF is aviation fuel blended with Synthetic Blending Component (SBC) according to the applicable standards and certified under sustainability requirements for GHG emission reduction. e-SAF is a SBC in the meaning of international standards or synthetic aviation fuels, produced using electrolytic hydrogen and CO2 as feedstocks.
Certification schemes under the EU RED and the CORSIA
Standards applicable to e-SAF: Quality of aviation fuel (Def Stan 91-09, ASTM D1655-22a), Production pathways and blending rates (ASTM D7566-22, ASTM D4054), Distribution of e-SAF (EI/JIG 1530 Standard).
Interaction between certification and standards for e-SAF
e-SAF certification, definition, ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, the EU RED and CORSIA
existing barriers to e-SAF production and support e-SAF deployment in the EU