Japan’s Idemitsu invests in Australian biofuels company

Idemitsu Kosan has invested in Australian biofuels company Jet Zero alongside Airbus and Qantas. Jet Zero is developing Australia’s first alcohol-to-jet-fuel facility in Queensland.

The A$600 million project, called Project Ulysses, aims to convert surplus ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The project aims to produce 102 million litres of SAF and 11 million litres of renewable diesel every year.

Idemitsu’s investment is its first in an SAF project outside Japan. The company also became a strategic partner to Jet Zero, pledging to share operational knowledge and help secure a stable supply of raw materials.

Idemitsu is planning to produce 500 million litres of SAF in Japan. This will help Japan meet its goal of replacing 10% of its jet fuel use with SAF by 2030.

Australia’s emerging biofuels industry

Australia’s biofuels industry is growing. The country has an abundance of biomass and feedstock to support production. Australian industry and research are exploring ways to use this feedstock to produce SAF, biodiesel and bioethanol.

The Australian Government has also established the Australian Jet Zero Council to lead efforts to deliver net zero aviation in Australia. The Council comprises senior stakeholders from across the aviation sector and its supply chains.

In addition to Jet Zero’s facility, other SAF projects in Australia include:

• Northern Oils began constructing an advanced biofuels plant at Yarwun in Queensland. The plant will use local produce as feedstock.
• Oceania Biofuels is building a biorefinery in Gladstone, Queensland.
• Ampol and ENEOS have started a feasibility study on an SAF plant in Brisbane.
• BP is set to build biofuels refining capacity at Kwinana in Western Australia. The biorefinery will produce SAF and biodiesel from 2026.
• INPEX, ANZ Bank and Qantas are evaluating a project that brings together carbon farming and renewable biofuels in Western Australia.

There are national and state strategies to develop the biofuels industry. This includes the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Roadmap, which identifies opportunities to produce and scale production using Australian feedstocks. Funding is also available from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Find out more about Australia’s growing biofuels industry.