China’s green jet fuel expansion threatens global feedstock supply

Chinese state-owned energy companies are rapidly expanding sustainable aviation fuel production, reports Caixin. The state-backed buildout that could tighten global supplies of a key raw material heavily relied on by European airlines.

Driven by national strategic priorities, China announced 16 new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) projects in the first half of 2026, compared with four in the rest of the world. State-owned enterprises including Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corp accounted for nearly half of the new developments, marking a shift in a sector previously led by private refiners.

The expansion could lead to a global shortage of used cooking oil by 2028, disrupting supply chains for European markets that depend on Chinese exports to meet aviation emissions requirements. Used cooking oil, or UCO, accounts for 80% of the feedstock used in current commercial SAF production. China supplies nearly half of the world’s UCO, making it a pivotal source for the global aviation fuel transition.