Sustainable Aviation Fuels summary for November 16th
Asia-Pacific airlines aim for 5% SAF usage by 2030
In India, Mint reported that the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has set a target for its members to adopt 5% sustainable aviation fuel usage by 2030 to reduce carbon emissions.
“The industry is stressing that our position is feedstock and pathway agnostic. We have fossil fuels which can only be tapped in certain parts of the world whereas feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel is available everywhere in the form of waste, agricultural and forestry residues. We need oil majors to provide the transition and governments to provide necessary framework in the form of subsidies and incentives,” AAPA director general Subhas Menon said.
The 5% SAF usage goal is a collective target for AAPA’s 14 member airlines, including newly inducted Air India, according to the report.
In May, India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas disclosed intentions to mandate 1% SAF use by domestic carriers by 2025. Earlier, the civil aviation ministry had also stated its plans to increase the blending of sustainable aviation fuel to 2% by 2026, and 5% by 2030, the report added.
Air France-KLM invests $4.7 million in SAF producer DG Fuels
In Washington DC, DG Fuels said that Air France-KLM has made a $4.7 million investment in the company to support the completion of the developmental work necessary to reach the Final Investment Decision on DG Fuels’ initial Louisiana-based sustainable aviation fuel plant.
In addition to this investment, Air France-KLM has acquired a new option to purchase up to 75,000 tons of SAF per year from DG Fuels (45,000 tons in Maine; 30,000 tons in Louisiana). 45,000 incremental offtake relates to future SAF that will be produced by DG Fuels’ second U.S. production facility –expected to be located in Maine, with deliveries planned to start as early as 2029.
In October 2022, Air France-KLM announced an offtake agreement for 600,000 tons of SAF from DG Fuels, to be delivered between 2027 and 2036.
“Air France-KLM welcomes this expanded cooperation with DG Fuels. Supporting the scale-up of advanced waste-to-aviation fuel technology is a crucial step to growing the SAF industry. This is the first time Air France-KLM has made a financial investment in a SAF producer and we look forward to further reinforcing our long-term partnership with DG Fuels.”, said Constance Thio, EVP Human Resources and Sustainability, Air France-KLM.
Eni and Saipem ink deal to develop new biorefineries
In Italy, Eni and Saipem have signed an agreement for the development of new biorefineries in Italy.
The agreement is in line with the decarbonization goals of Eni and Saipem, and it focuses on the study for and subsequent potential construction of plants for the production of SAF and of the biofuel HVO diesel, produced from 100% renewable raw materials.
The agreement involves the application of Eni’s proprietary Ecofining technology for both the development of new biorefineries and the conversion of traditional refineries, combining Eni’s technological and operational experience with Saipem’s expertise in the design and construction of this type of plants.
Eni plans to expand its biorefining capacity from the current 1.65 million tons/year to over 5 million tons/year by 2030.
Boeing,Zero Petroleum to collaborate to advance SAF production
In the United Arab Emirates, Boeing and Zero Petroleum announced a collaboration for testing and analyzing the next generation of technologies to accelerate the supply of sustainable aviation fuels.
Under the terms of the agreement, Boeing will jointly establish a testing program for Zero’s SAF at the University of Sheffield’s Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) and its SAF research facility.
“SAF is our industry’s biggest lever in reducing emissions today and into the future, but we need more of it now to enable those reductions,” said Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of Environmental Sustainability. “Working with innovators around the world such as Zero is crucial as we collaborate to develop new, sustainable pathways to produce and scale-up SAF.”
Paddy Lowe, CEO of Zero, said: “We have already developed and tested our 100% drop-in synthetic jet fuel and collaborating with Boeing will now enable us to accelerate the qualification process and put us on course for commercial delivery by 2026. Our collaboration with Boeing sets an industry precedent for the recognition and support for synthetic fuels in the global pivot to sustainable solutions.”
Bombardier reaffirms commitment to cover totality of flight operations with SAF
In Canada, Bombardier reaffirmed its commitment to cover all its operational flights with sustainable aviation fuel, utilizing the Book-and-Claim system.
“Our commitment to cover our flight operations with SAF, a first in the business aviation industry, is another demonstration of the serious, tangible actions we are taking to align with our values,” said Eric Martel, President and CEO, Bombardier.“ The Bombardier team strongly believes that operating with sustainability in mind is the only way forward, and we are proud to rise to the challenge again today.”
The company noted that operational flights are part of Bombardier’s regular activities, and include production testing, certification flights, transiting Global aircrafts from Toronto to Montréal to perform the completion stages, customer demonstration flights, new aircraft platforms certifications and after-service check flights. By using a blend with 30% of pure sustainable aviation fuel, Bombardier anticipates to reduce its annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fuel use in its flight operations by approximately 20-25%.
Rolls-Royce successfully completes 100% SAF test program
In the UK, Rolls-Royce announces that it has successfully completed compatibility testing of 100% SAF on all its in-production civil aero engine types.
A ground test on a BR710 business jet engine at the company’s facility in Canada, completed the test regime. Other engines tested as part of the program were: Trent 700, Trent 800, Trent 900, Trent 1000, Trent XWB-84, Trent XWB-97, Trent 7000, BR725, Pearl 700, Pearl 15 and Pearl 10X, the company said.
Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO of Rolls-Royce plc, said: “Becoming the first jet engine manufacturer to publicly confirm all our in-production engines for long-haul aircraft and business jets are compatible with 100% SAF, is an important milestone for both Rolls-Royce and the wider aviation industry. It’s also further evidence of our commitment to becoming a net zero company by 2050 and supporting our customers to do the same.”
Singapore Airlines and Scoot set 2030 SAF target
In Singapore, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot, the two airlines within the SIA Group portfolio of carriers, announced their target of replacing 5% of their total fuel requirements with sustainable aviation fuels by 2030.
Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer at Singapore Airlines, said: “This is an important milestone in the SIA Group’s sustainability journey. The greater use of sustainable fuels will be a key lever in our decarbonization strategy, which includes our continued investment in new generation aircraft and greater operational efficiencies. Together, this will put us on the path towards our net zero target.
Discussions with fuel suppliers on opportunities to purchase sustainable aviation fuels are ongoing, and further details will be announced at the appropriate time, the Asian airline said.
Over the last few years, the SIA Group said it has been working closely with partners, both in Singapore and around the world, to better understand the operational and commercial considerations that would support a greater supply and adoption of SAF.
Enoc plans to start SAF supply to Dubai Airports in 2024
In the United Arab Emirates, Khaleej Times reported that local company Enoc Group announced its plans to supply SAF to Dubai Airports in 2024 in line with its long-term strategy.
The report added that the firm is currently exploring the possibility of producing SAF within and outside the country.
The company also said it expects to reach more than one billion gallons of jet fuel sales by the end of this year by supplying more than 153,000 commercial, military, and general aviation flights around the world.
Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO at Enoc, said: “With strong demand for air travel driving global passenger volume, the aviation sector remains a key driver to the UAE’s economic growth. As a leading integrated global energy player, Enoc Group is committed to meeting the growing demand for jet fuel both locally and internationally. Additionally, and as decarbonization of the aviation sector is a top priority, Enoc Group is working closely with strategic partners to secure and blend sustainable aviation fuel, which will not only help to secure this fuel for the future but also support the nation to achieve its net zero ambition.”
Enoc Group currently provides more than 40% of Dubai International Airport’s jet fuel requirements.
