Energetica India Magazine May - June 2026

even algal oils into SAF and renewable diesel, helping ex- pand the renewable fuels pool without depending on a single feedstock stream. Fischer-Tropsch Hydrocracking provides another pathway for producing lower-carbon jet fuel from synthesis gas. eFining supports methanol-to-jet production, which is important for future power-to-liquid routes. Bio - crude Upgrading is the newest addition, and it is designed to process forestry and agricultural waste into drop-in fuels. To - gether, these technologies give us the flexibility to match the right solution to local feedstock availability and project needs – exactly what India requires to scale sustainably. Q What are the key challenges in scaling SAF and biocrude production in India, from pilot to commercial scale? Ranjit Kulkarni: The biggest challenge in scaling SAF and biocrude is not just the technology itself, but the wider eco- system that supports it. Feedstock consistency, logistics, proj - ect financing, blending infrastructure, and clear standards all need to move together. Certification frameworks for feed - stock, carbon intensity, and fuel quality will also be critical, because long-term offtake only becomes viable when airlines and refiners trust the product and the economics behind it. Pilot projects can prove technical feasibility, but commercial scale requires predictable supply chains, policy certainty, and bankable demand. That is where partnerships become essen - tial, because the move from demonstration to deployment de- pends on execution across the full value chain. In India, this also means getting the certification and testing ecosystem ready early, so producers are not stuck waiting for every project-specific approval at the end of the chain. The faster the standards, tracking, and offtake frameworks ma- ture, the faster commercial projects can move. Q India is targeting 1-5 percent SAF blending by 2030. What policy measures and incentive mechanisms are critical to achieving this target? Ranjit Kulkarni: India’s blending ambition sends a strong market signal, and that signal is essential for investment. The government’s recent amendment to the ATF Order is a posi - tive enabling step. It now officially allows blending of sustain - able and synthetic fuels, including SAF, in jet fuel. This re - moves a key regulatory barrier and aligns with the indicative targets of 1 percent by 2027, 2 percent by 2028, and 5 percent by 2030 for international flights. However, with no manda - tory blending in place yet, supply will only follow if early projects are supported with the right incentives. Clear phased mandates create demand visibility, but supply will only follow if early projects are supported with the right incentives. Viability gap funding, duty relief on eligible feedstocks, and carbon credit frameworks can all improve project economics in the early years. Support for collection infrastructure and faster permitting will help reduce execution delays. Long- term offtake arrangements with airlines, refiners, or public sector partners can further de-risk investment. Just as impor - tantly, policy needs to reward domestic production in a way that creates confidence for first movers. The early years are always the hardest, so the market has to see that low-carbon fuel production will be supported consistently, not just an- nounced. If policy, supply, and demand move in step, India can build a domestic SAF ecosystem that supports aviation growth while reducing import dependence. Q Honeywell has been actively involved in sustainable fuel technologies globally. Could you elaborate on your key of- ferings and projects in India related to SAF and biocrude? Ranjit Kulkarni: Globally, our renewable fuels portfolio spans Ecofining for lipid-based feedstocks, Fischer-Tropsch Hy - drocracking for gas-to-jet pathways, eFining for methanol conversion, and Biocrude Upgrading for waste-based feed - stocks. In India, our collaboration with a leading green en - ergy company marks an important step, as it explores SAF production from captured CO 2 and green hydrogen using our eFining pathway. These projects also show the breadth of our India engagement. Alongside the NTPC Green work, the SAF One collaboration brings together Honeywell technology and Tata Projects’ EPC capability, while the TruAlt agreement demonstrates how ethanol-based SAF can be scaled in India through a grassroots production model. That kind of collab - oration matters because it connects global technology with local opportunity. Backed by our India team and our Gurugram R&D capabil - ity, we are focused on adapting solutions to local feedstocks, policy conditions, and infrastructure realities. Just as impor - tantly, we see India not only as a market, but also as a place where partnerships can help build commercially relevant clean-fuel pathways at scale. This is why partnerships matter so much in India. The combination of global technology, local execution, and domestic feedstock planning is what will make these pathways commercially relevant, not just technically possible. 32 energetica INDIA- May-June_2026 INTERVIEW