Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
7 min of reading 
0 comments 
In just 3,000 m³ delivered at Galeão International Airport — equivalent to an entire day of flights in Rio de Janeiro — Petrobras has just inaugurated the era of 100% Brazilian aviation fuel, opening a global market estimated at tens of billions of dollars
The SAF Petrobras has ceased to be a promise and has become a commercial reality. In December 2025, the Brazilian state company delivered the first batch of sustainable aviation fuel produced entirely in Brazil, totaling 3,000 m³ destined for Galeão.
The volume is symbolic: it is approximately equivalent to a day’s consumption of aviation kerosene at all airports in the state of Rio de Janeiro combined. But the qualitative leap is enormous — for the first time, Brazilian aircraft took off with fuel partially derived from soybean oil produced in the Midwest.
The production came from the Duque de Caxias Refinery (Reduc), in Baixada Fluminense, via a co-processing process authorized by the ANP — National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels. Currently, the limit is up to 1.2% renewable raw material mixed with fossil kerosene, but the goal is to progressively expand.
-
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked by the Israel-Iran war for 60 days, Brent surpassed US$111 and marks its seventh consecutive rise — and Trump says that Iran asked to open the oil route.
-
Crater in a century-old tree sparks alert in Blumenau, and a rare examination using advanced technology reveals the surprising internal condition of the historic plane trees.
-
While OPEC curbs production, three South Atlantic countries will account for half of the world’s oil growth in 2026 — Brazil leads, but Guyana is the biggest surprise
-
Google bought 115 MW and six banks injected US$ 421 million: why AI data centers are choosing geothermal energy instead of solar and wind
What is SAF Petrobras and how does the co-processing process work
The term SAF comes from the English acronym “Sustainable Aviation Fuel.” Unlike biodiesel or ethanol, SAF is chemically identical to traditional kerosene. Therefore, it can be used in commercial aircraft without any technical adaptation.
In parallel, airport infrastructure also does not need to be modified. Tanks, pipelines, tanker trucks, and fueling nozzles operate exactly as before. The only difference is the origin of the raw material: instead of crude oil, SAF Petrobras uses vegetable oil — mainly Brazilian soy — converted into hydrocarbons via co-processing.
According to Times Brasil, the product delivers a reduction of up to 87% in net CO₂ emissions over the renewable portion, meeting the sustainability criteria of the international ISCC-Corsia certification.
As stated by Magda Chambriard, president of Petrobras, “this is a solution that contributes to meeting the decarbonization goals of the aviation sector.” The executive also highlighted the strategic nature of the initiative for the national energy transition program.
The Fuel of the Future Law: what changes in 2027
The great commercial catalyst for SAF Petrobras will arrive in 2027. In that year, the Fuel of the Future Law comes into effect, making it mandatory to use at least 1% biofuel in all domestic Brazilian flights. The percentage will grow year by year, reaching 10% in 2037.
In parallel, international flights are subject to the CORSIA program of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which will also require mandatory use of SAF starting in 2027. In other words, any airline operating in Brazil will have to purchase SAF — local or imported.
Consequently, Petrobras anticipated the movement. Building national capacity before the regulatory requirement becomes a huge competitive advantage: while Europe and the United States rush to scale up internal production, Brazil already has a certified plant operating.
As stated by the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, “we are structuring a new market in the country, with planning, regulatory security, and investments that provide predictability to the sector. The national production of SAF strengthens the Brazilian industry, generates economic opportunities, and allows aviation to grow sustainably.”
The expansion to Paulínia and Betim in 2026
Petrobras’ schedule is already outlined. In 2026, two additional refineries will start producing SAF: the Paulínia Refinery (REPLAN) in São Paulo and the Gabriel Passos Refinery (REGAP) in Minas Gerais. The Henrique Lage Refinery (Revap) in São José dos Campos has also tested the process.
In fact, combining the four refineries, Petrobras expects to reach 1.6 billion liters of annual SAF production by 2027 — more than enough volume to meet domestic demand in the early years of the Fuel of the Future Law.
In comparison, the entire sector is expected to receive investments of R$ 17.5 billion by 2027, according to a survey by the Ministry of Mines and Energy. The amount includes not only refining infrastructure but also logistics network, certification, and R&D in alternative routes such as ethanol-to-kerosene (ATJ).
In parallel, the government’s expectation is to meet 100% of the national SAF demand with internal production by 2029. This number would mean zero imports — something that few countries in the world achieve in synthetic fuel.
Why Brazilian soy gives an advantage to SAF Petrobras
The great Brazilian bet is on the agricultural chain. Brazil is the largest producer of soy in the world — and almost half of this production is processed to generate meal (animal feed) and vegetable oil. The oil is the ideal raw material for SAF Petrobras.
Compared to Europe, which imports much of its vegetable oil (Indonesian palm, French rapeseed), Brazil uses national raw material, with existing logistics and competitive cost. This means cheaper Brazilian SAF with traceable origin certification.
As detailed by the Ministry of Ports and Airports, the strategy is also to use technical corn oil (TCO) — a byproduct of the ethanol industry — as an alternative route. Brazil already has certified technical capacity for this second raw material.
On the other hand, as recently reported by Click Petróleo e Gás based on a Deloitte study, the decarbonization of the oil and gas sector is considered strategic for the coming years — and SAF is one of the main commercial routes for this.
How Brazil gets ahead of Europe and the USA in the global market
Globally, the race for SAF is fierce. The European Union has the ReFuelEU target of 2% SAF in 2025, rising to 70% in 2050 — but most of the volume today is imported. The United States is heavily investing via the Inflation Reduction Act, with tax credits for production, but still relies on waste oil and corn as raw materials.
Brazil, on the other hand, already has ISCC-Corsia certification in hand, proven refining, and an integrated soy chain. Indeed, SAF Petrobras could become an exportable product starting in 2027, selling to European and Asian airlines that cannot meet their own targets internally.
In parallel, this scenario strengthens Brazil’s position in the global energy sector. As a recent article by Click Petróleo e Gás showed, Brazil, Guyana, and Argentina will account for half of the world’s oil growth in 2026. Now, with SAF, the country also emerges as a protagonist of the future’s “green oil.”
- 3,000 m³ — first batch of SAF Petrobras delivered at Galeão (Dec/2025)
- 87% — CO₂ reduction in the renewable portion certified ISCC-Corsia
- 1.2% — current limit of renewable raw material in co-processing
- 1% — minimum biofuel requirement in domestic flights starting in 2027
- 1.6 billion liters — annual SAF production forecast by Petrobras in 2027
- R$ 17.5 billion — sectoral investment by 2027
- 100% — goal to meet national demand with internal production by 2029
Caveats: there are still technical and economic challenges
Despite the leap, there are real limitations. The initial volume of 3,000 m³ is symbolic — it corresponds to just one day of consumption in Rio. To meet the entire Fuel of the Future Law, Petrobras will need to scale production by more than 100 times in three years.
Additionally, the main raw material — soybean oil — may conflict with global food demand. Critics point out that dedicating part of the Brazilian crop to fuel could pressure food prices in emerging markets, with significant social impact.
In parallel, ISCC-Corsia certification requires total traceability of the chain — from the farm to the airplane tank. This means additional costs with auditing and tracking technology, making the final product more expensive compared to fossil kerosene.
On the other hand, there are also regulatory issues to resolve. The tax incentives provided by the Fuel of the Future Law still depend on complementary regulation, and the National Treasury needs to balance subsidies without compromising the federal budget.
What lies ahead: the race has begun
To understand what may happen in the coming years, it is worth looking at the recent past. Brazil became a global powerhouse in ethanol because it entered the commercial chain early, in the 1970s, with Proálcool. Today, it exports ethanol and technology to more than 80 countries.
Similarly, SAF Petrobras could repeat this trajectory. If the expansion to REPLAN and REGAP confirms commercial viability, Brazil could become a net exporter of sustainable aviation fuel before the end of the decade, capturing billions in external revenue.
In other words, the bet goes beyond meeting climate goals — it is a strategy for global insertion. Each liter of certified SAF sold in Europe in 2027 potentially values four times the price of fossil kerosene, according to current spot market quotations.
Finally, the lingering question is uncomfortable. If Brazil already has soy, refining, certification, and regulatory framework, only scale — and time — are missing. Will Petrobras be able to multiply production by 100 in three years before the United States and Europe establish their own internal chains? And what happens if the world discovers, in 2030, that the clean airplane of the future comes from the Brazilian cerrado?
Be the first to react!