Renewable energy firm GPS Renewables has partnered with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) to develop and commercialise an indigenous sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology branded as NG SAF. 

This initiative uses ethanol—primarily derived from 2G agri-biomass, as a feedstock to produce SAF through a one-step oligomerisation process based on a patented catalyst developed by CSIR-NCL. Unlike the globally demonstrated lab-scale ethanol-to-jet pathways, NG SAF aims to achieve commercial-scale production, addressing a key gap in the market. GPS Renewables now holds exclusive commercialisation rights to this process, with potential to adapt it for methanol-based SAF in the future. 

The collaboration also responds to limitations in India’s current SAF production, which relies on the HEFA method using used cooking oil—an unsustainable feedstock in the Indian context. Backed by industry veterans and global engineering experts, the NG SAF project aspires to position India as a global leader in SAF innovation and contribute to decarbonizing the aviation sector.