Why the GCC’s Existing O&G Infrastructure Gives It a Head Start on Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Expert Insights from: Thomas Rebeyrol, Former COO ADNOC & VP MENA

The energy transition is often framed as a story of replacement, fossil fuels out, renewables in. But when it comes to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), the reality is more nuanced. The infrastructure that powered the old energy economy may be exactly what’s needed to scale the new one. And nowhere is that more apparent than in the Gulf.

Thomas Rebeyrol, a sustainable fuels expert with deep experience in energy transitions, makes the case plainly: the GCC doesn’t just have an opportunity in SAF, it has a structural advantage. One built on decades of investment in refining, storage, and export logistics that the rest of the world is still scrambling to build.

Infrastructure That Was Already There

The GCC region has a wide and modern oil and gas infrastructure for refining and petrochemicals, along with a unique position in terms of storing and exporting liquids and gases to Europe, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

That geography matters more than it might first appear. GCC infrastructure sits at the center of the main international energy supply routes between Asia and Europe, which means producers can simultaneously import feedstock arriving primarily from Asia, and export finished product along established routes to the two regions driving the most SAF demand: Northeast Asia and Europe.

The feedstock point is worth dwelling on. Most biomass-based SAF relies on vegetable oils and used cooking oils, predominantly sourced from Asia. The GCC’s geographic position makes it extremely well placed to compete for this supply, while its long-established export routes give it a ready commercial pathway to move finished product at scale.

Conversion Without Reinvention

Perhaps the most compelling part of the infrastructure argument is how little conversion is actually required, at least for biomass-based fuels.

For biodiesel and bio-aviation fuels, most existing infrastructure in refineries, pipeline networks, tank farms, and export terminals can be reused with relatively minor modifications. The primary upgrade is segregation: keeping SAF-dedicated assets clean and separate from conventional fossil fuel streams.

“If you export biodiesel, it will be a blend. You don’t need a lot of conversion; the infrastructure exists. It’s an allocation of quantities and volumes.” Thomas Rebeyrol

This is familiar territory for engineers who already manage differentiated product streams. The oil and gas sector routinely segregates products like gasoline and diesel, so the type of upgrade required here is similar in nature, if not in stakes. The bar for SAF is simply unforgiving: airline companies require 100% specification compliance, with zero tolerance for contamination.

Hydrogen and ammonia-based pathways require more extensive work. Hydrogen’s volatility and flammability demand dedicated infrastructure and more rigorous segregation protocols. Up to a 20% hydrogen blend can be transported within existing gas grids without major modifications, but beyond that threshold, full pipeline retrofitting becomes necessary. These are real costs, but they’re solvable engineering challenges, not fundamental barriers.

Flagship Projects Already in Motion

In the UAE, ADNOC is already producing both biodiesel and bio-aviation fuels at its refinery, certified to international airline standards. It is also producing blue ammonia through a combined project with carbon capture infrastructure, one of the most significant sustainable fuel investments in the world, with commitments exceeding $20 billion and a target of 2 million tons of blue ammonia per year.

“This shows the capacity of these companies to allocate huge capital to strategic projects that enable them to keep their leadership in the market.” Thomas Rebeyrol

Saudi Arabia is tracking a parallel course. Aramco has concluded a formal investment decision to produce sustainable aviation fuels at the Sattor refinery in Jubail, driven by growing European mandates requiring airlines to incorporate SAF, a demand that Europe itself cannot yet meet domestically.

The Partnership Model

Rebeyrol also highlights a partnership dynamic that could accelerate the SAF build-out across the region. The collaboration between Aramco and TotalEnergies at the Sattor refinery exemplifies the logic: Aramco brings capital depth, long-term strategic vision, and access to competitive feedstock; TotalEnergies brings proven technical expertise from already converting existing refineries to sustainable fuels in Europe.

It’s a pairing of complementary strengths, and one that Rebeyrol sees expanding. Similar joint ventures between national oil companies and international energy majors could become a defining feature of how the GCC scales its SAF capacity over the next decade.

The Risks That Remain

For all its structural advantages, the GCC still faces a challenge common to every participant in the SAF space: investment timing. Market signals around hydrogen-based molecules, blue hydrogen, green hydrogen, and ammonia are not yet fully stable. Hydrogen’s promise for mobility and transportation has shifted considerably in just a few years, making long-term contract certainty harder to secure.

Rebeyrol’s advice to anyone entering the space: before committing capital, lock in your outlet, ideally through long-term offtake agreements with major buyers such as airline companies, and simultaneously secure your feedstock supply over a 20-year horizon. On both counts, he notes, the GCC is exceptionally well positioned.

The energy transition in aviation won’t be won by countries that simply intend to produce sustainable fuel. It will be won by those who can move volume, at specification, to the markets that need it most. On that measure, the GCC is already ahead, not despite its oil and gas legacy, but because of it.