RSB publishes report on Techno-Economic Assessment Tool providing early-stage analysis of SAF pathways
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Building on the work to identify sustainable feedstock opportunities in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, RSB has developed a Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) Tool to support informed investment decisions, guide policy development, and enhance the efficiency of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production processes.
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A key challenge in developing sustainable fuels for sector transition is understanding the technical and economic viability of production pathways and making informed decisions about what feedstock or supply chain combinations are the most viable – not only from a sustainability perspective, but also from an economic one.
Developed with support from The Boeing Company and Standard Chartered under the Decarbonising Aviation Sustainably in Southeast Asia project, RSB’s TEA Tool combines technical and economic data to provide a streamlined, seven-step analysis of key economic indicators such as Net Present Value (NPV), Minimum Selling Price (MSP), and Mitigation Costs (MC), which enables Tool users to pinpoint pathway-specific cost drivers and areas for improvement.
The TEA Tool was validated through demonstration calculations for selected SAF pathways in Southeast Asia. This regional focus, which highlighted the Tool’s ability to accommodate country-specific data, is a testament to its adaptability and potential for tailored modelling scenarios. Its flexibility in incorporating localised data is crucial for understanding unique pathway-specific challenges and opportunities in diverse regions. The four key SAF production pathways include: Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Fischer-Tropsch (FT), Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) standalone, and Alcohol-to-Jet integrated.
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Insights from the TEA Tool Demonstration for Malaysia and Thailand
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Eight SAF production pathways in Malaysia and Thailand were modelled using secondary data from public resources to demonstrate the TEA Tool’s applicability (see Figure 1).
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Figure 1: SAF pathways used for TEA Tool demonstration
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Upon completion of the TEA Tool’s seven modelling steps, pathway-specific results for six indicators were automatically shown in the dashboard. These helped identify promising production routes by pinpointing key cost contributors to the MSP per pathway, and illustrating the sensitivity of potential data variations (see Figure 2).
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Figure 2: Example of TEA Tool dashboard results when modelling an SAF pathway from palm fatty acid distillate via an HEFA process.
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The TEA Tool was presented to experts from diverse sectors, including airlines, SAF producers, international associations, government and environmental organisations, as well as finance and research institutions. Stakeholders tested the Tool and provided feedback, highlighting its potential to standardise SAF Techno-Economic Assessments. This feedback emphasised the Tool’s role in supporting decision-makers in identifying promising SAF pathways and assessing the impact of policy measures like subsidies and carbon pricing.
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TEA Tool report lays the groundwork for future tailored enhancements
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The TEA Tool report provides an overview of the Tool’s development and testing process, including data and findings from its validation in Southeast Asia using secondary data (see example in Figure 3).
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Figure 3: Comparison of MSP results obtained during the TEA Tool demonstration for eight different SAF pathways.
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RSB envisions the TEA Tool playing a pivotal role in facilitating informed decision-making and guiding policy-making as regions transition from conventional to sustainable biofuels. To better meet the diverse needs of stakeholders and maximise its global impact, RSB plans to incorporate more environmental indicators and expand the Tool’s scope by integrating broader regional data sets and additional pathways.
If you’re interested in exploring how the TEA Tool could be applied to your project or would like to contribute to its further development, RSB invites you to connect with RSB’s Esther Hegel.
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