ABC News covers an exciting new trial underway in Queensland as growers and innovators explore sugar beet as a low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.

The Sky Renewables team has joined forces with farmers in central Queensland to grow sugar beet — a crop not cultivated in the region for nearly a century — as part of a push into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Rooted in the global shift away from fossil fuels, the trial aligns with rising mandates for low-carbon liquid fuels and complements Australia’s strong sugarcane-based bioenergy heritage.

The effort is bolstered by government bio-manufacturing incentives and an inquiry into sugar-industry bioenergy opportunities, positioning the region as a future hub for renewable fuel production.

Read the full ABC News article to explore how this trial could transform regional agriculture and aviation fuel production

19 November 2025