Danie Cronje, a senior vice-president at Sasol, discussed the company’s plans for aviation fuel made from used cooking oil in a Moneyweb radio interview on RSG Geldsake, published on 17 September 2026. The Moneyweb page carries only a short summary of the interview, so the detail below comes from other reporting of the same week.
According to EWN, Sasol has signed an agreement to supply co-processed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to White Desert, a luxury Antarctic expedition company, covering Sasol’s first commercial SAF volumes for White Desert’s Cape Town-to-Antarctica expeditions. The deal was announced at the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit.
How the fuel is made
SAF is a drop-in replacement for conventional jet fuel, meaning it can be used in existing aircraft engines without modification. In Sasol’s case, EWN reports that used cooking oil is collected from users in South Africa and co-processed at Sasol’s Natref refinery in Sasolburg, which mainly runs on crude oil. Hydrocarbon Processing adds that Natref has a capacity of 108,500 barrels per day and is being converted into a hybrid bio-refinery, and that Sasol’s SAF received independent certification from TUV SUD in April. EWN says Natref has also received ISCC+ sustainability certification.
Volumes, cost and customers
Natref currently produces about 1 to 2 million litres of SAF a year, according to EWN. Sasol expects output of about 15 million litres by the end of 2027 (Hydrocarbon Processing puts the 2027 figure at around 16 million litres, rising to up to 100 million litres by 2030, depending on customer demand). EWN reports that the Secunda plant is also expected to be scaled up for SAF as demand rises.
Sasol says the fuel cuts carbon emissions by about 75%. EWN also reports that, including the necessary modifications, SAF costs roughly two to three times as much as conventional jet fuel, which is why Cronje describes the target market for now as customers such as White Desert that have net-zero ambitions.
According to Hydrocarbon Processing, White Desert runs one flight a week from Cape Town to Antarctica during its November to February season, with the first flight on Sasol SAF scheduled for November. The company previously sourced SAF from Europe. The report adds that Sasol is pursuing similar deals with larger European and Middle Eastern airlines.
What it means for South African business
For South African food-service businesses, the arrangement points to a possible market for used cooking oil, turning a disposal cost into a feedstock. The reports do not say which companies supply the oil or on what terms, and the financial value of the White Desert deal has not been disclosed in the coverage reviewed.
While the global SAF market is still nascent, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that SAF production reached about 1 million tonnes in 2024, only about 0.3% of global jet fuel production, though demand is expected to rise as airlines commit to net-zero targets.
For a broader view of how fuel price trends affect corporate finance, see our Markets & Finance coverage.
