TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanné said that he expects the European Union to dilute its mandate on the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), drawing a parallel with the bloc’s recent decision to abandon a proposed ban on new combustion-engine cars from 2035.
Speaking at a World Economic Forum panel on clean fuels, Pouyanné said airlines were resisting the EU’s requirement to blend 6% SAF by 2030, even though he described the target as achievable. Under current rules, 2% of jet fuel supplied at EU airports must be SAF, rising to 6% in 2030 and 20% by 2035.
“All the airline companies are fighting the 6% SAF mandate,” Pouyanné said. “I will make a bet today that what happened to the car regulation will happen to the SAF regulation in Europe.”
TotalEnergies produces SAF at several refineries and has plans to expand capacity, but Pouyanné said the company has delayed further investments after customers proved unwilling to buy more than the volumes required to meet EU mandates. SAF typically costs three to four times more than conventional jet fuel.
Airlines have blamed limited uptake on insufficient SAF supply, a claim Pouyanné rejected. He said TotalEnergies could supply up to 10% SAF to European airlines by 2030, but added that carriers expected biofuels to be priced on par with fossil jet fuel, which he said was unrealistic.
Pouyanné warned that regulatory uncertainty could lead the company to scale back investments in low-carbon fuels. “As it’s a regulated market, if they move the targets, then I will have invested in biorefineries for nothing,” he said.
