WHITE PAPER
GENERAL INDEX AND LSEG · OCTOBER 2026

Lessons From Hormuz: Disruptions for Renewable Fuel Cost Competitiveness

Has anything really changed? What a fossil shock revealed about the price of SAF.

When the Strait of Hormuz closed, fossil fuel prices spiked. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) spiked with them, despite having a completely separate supply chain. Our new white paper with LSEG explains how and why biofuel and SAF markets reacted to the closure, and what that means for how SAF is priced.

David Elward, Lead Analyst, General Index
AUTHOR
David Elward
Lead Analyst, General Index
Tim Deehan, Senior Analyst, LSEG
AUTHOR
Tim Deehan
Senior Analyst, LSEG
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28 pages · PDF
Cover of the General Index and LSEG white paper Lessons From Hormuz
INSIDE THE WHITE PAPER

Five chapters on how biofuel and SAF markets reacted to the Hormuz closure

01
Introduction
When fossil fuel prices spiked after the Strait of Hormuz closed, SAF prices spiked almost in lockstep. Was it demand, the pricing mechanism, or something else?
02
SAF Supply and Demand: The Barrels Kept Coming
Was it supply or demand? The physical evidence is more mixed than it looks.
03
Pricing Mechanisms Decoded: Tethered to the Wrong Barrel?
SAF is priced off fossil diesel. Is it tethered to the wrong barrel?
04
Costing Carbon: Policy Work in Progress, Success in Maritime
EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime costs, and what closing the aviation gap would take
05
Conclusion: Has Anything Really Changed?
Two directions for where SAF pricing could go next
135%
Rise in CIF Northwest Europe jet fuel cargo prices, February average to the 2 April peak
$636/t
Increase in SAF prices from February to March, with no SAF supply chain in the region
5% vs 71%
Compression in the SAF premium to ICE LSGO, against RME on the same peg, February to April
~$445
EUA price per tonne CO2e needed to close the SAF to jet gap, against $70 to $100 assessed
KEY FINDINGS

Supply, demand, cost and liquidity data reveal a more complex picture

01

Was it supply or demand? The physical evidence is more mixed than it looks

Europe-bound HEFA loadings collapsed in February, then ran at or above a normal month from March to July. No part of the price move can be attributed to resupply volume with confidence.

02

This market is hard to price

Two months of disruption produced 23 bids, 22 offers and six trades. Almost all participation came from fossil-market participants rather than renewable fuel producers or airlines.

03

Carbon pricing is the key to competitiveness in maritime

Once EU ETS and FuelEU costs were counted, UCOME undercut marine gasoil and B30 VLSFO became the cheapest bunker option in April.

04

Aviation needs far more than today's carbon price

Closing the gap between SAF and fossil jet would need an EU ETS allowance price around five times today's level.

ABOUT GENERAL INDEX

General Index delivers FCA-regulated energy benchmarks built on real market activity, with more than 400,000 monthly trades, tested algorithms and expert market sign-off. Spot prices and forward curves span crude oil, refined products, natural gas and energy transition.

ABOUT LSEG

LSEG operates a global markets infrastructure and data business spanning trading venues, post-trade clearing, and data and analytics services used across capital markets.

Download the white paper today

Our new white paper with LSEG explains how and why biofuel and SAF markets reacted to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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Download the white paper