Sasol has entered a commercial sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) partnership with White Desert to supply SAF for the operator’s flights between Cape Town, South Africa, and Antarctica.
Announced at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit, the agreement marks Sasol’s first commercial SAF volumes supplied to White Desert and connects South African SAF production with aviation demand for Antarctic expeditions.
The partnership is being positioned by the companies as a practical application of lower-carbon aviation fuel, while also providing a pathway towards future e-fuels based on green hydrogen.
Sasol to supply SAF for Cape Town-Antarctica operations
White Desert, which operates Antarctic expeditions departing from Cape Town, will use the SAF in its aviation operations between South Africa and Antarctica.
Sasol said the fuel is produced from sustainable bio-feedstocks. The company described the agreement as an example of how industrial capability and customer demand can be connected to develop commercial applications for lower-carbon fuels.
The announcement does not disclose the volume of SAF to be supplied, the duration of the agreement, its financial value or the specific bio-feedstocks used in production.
Dr Sarushen Pillay, executive vice president for business building, strategy and technology at Sasol, said the partnership demonstrates how sustainable fuels can move towards commercial application in South Africa.
“Today’s announcement shows that South Africa is not waiting on the sidelines of the energy transition,” Pillay said.
He added that the partnership connects industrial capability, customer demand and innovation, while demonstrating a route for sustainable fuels to reach the market.
Natref certification supports the SAF partnership
The agreement follows Natref’s recent ISCC+ sustainability certification, which Sasol said enabled the partnership.
The certification is presented by Sasol as supporting the development and supply of sustainable fuel products through its South African industrial infrastructure.
Sasol also linked the current bio-based SAF offering with longer-term plans for e-fuels. According to Pillay, bio-SAF represents an initial stage in the company’s broader transition towards fuels produced using green hydrogen.
The company said these value chains could create additional industrial opportunities while contributing to energy security, competitiveness and decarbonisation.
White Desert to use locally produced SAF
White Desert founder and CEO Patrick Woodhead said the company welcomed the ability to source SAF produced in South Africa for its Antarctic flights.
“It is incredible to now be able to source Sustainable Fuel in South Africa, made locally and with real carbon emission reductions,” Woodhead said.
White Desert said it is looking to use the fuel for its flights to Antarctica as part of its stated ambition to move towards net zero.
The source does not provide an independently verified emissions-reduction figure for the SAF used by White Desert.
Bio-SAF positioned as a bridge to e-fuels
Sasol’s broader SAF strategy, as described in the announcement, links bio-based SAF with a future e-fuels market enabled by green hydrogen.
Pillay said South Africa already has fuel infrastructure, technical capabilities and export relationships that could support participation in this market. He described bio-SAF as a first step in converting existing industrial capabilities towards sustainable-fuel production and as a bridge towards an e-fuels economy.
The company did not disclose a specific timeline, production target or investment figure for its future e-fuels ambitions in the announcement.
The commercial agreement with White Desert therefore provides a current end-use application for Sasol’s SAF while the company continues to position sustainable aviation fuel within a wider lower-carbon fuels strategy.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The Sasol-White Desert agreement is significant primarily because it connects locally produced SAF with a defined aviation customer and an operational flight route. Rather than remaining at the project-development or policy stage, the announcement concerns commercial SAF supply for flights linking South Africa and Antarctica.
The partnership also illustrates the potential relationship between bio-based SAF and future hydrogen-derived fuels. Sasol is presenting sustainable bio-feedstock-based SAF as an initial step towards an e-fuels value chain, although the announcement does not provide details on the scale or timing of that future development.
For the South African SAF market, the key points to watch will be the scale of commercial supply, the availability and certification of sustainable feedstocks, and the development of subsequent customer demand. The current agreement establishes a commercial application, but the source does not disclose enough information to assess its overall market scale.
The partnership was announced at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit and adds an aviation application to Sasol’s broader positioning around sustainable fuels and green-hydrogen-enabled e-fuels.
