Black & Veatch to advance SAF development

Black & Veatch is a national industry association, with over 150 members, committed to accelerating Australia’s bio-economy. The association founded the sustainable aviation fuel alliance of Australia and New Zealand (SAFAANZ), to advance SAF production, policy, education and marketing in Australia and New Zealand.

SAF is produced by processing renewable sources such as waste cooking oil, plant oils and agricultural residues for use in commercial airplanes. The fuel can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel.

Shahana McKenzie, CEO of Bioenergy Australia, said: “Electrification is essential for many pillars of the energy system. Yet, it is only part of the solution to reducing emissions. Australia’s heavy industries, aviation, marine, agriculture and mining, need affordable and immediate decarbonisation options, such as renewable fuel. We are excited to work with Black & Veatch, to identify pathways to produce the SAF affordably and at scale.’’

Mick Scrivens, Vice President, Director, Australia Pacific, Black & Veatch, said: “As well as decarbonising the aviation sector, sustainable fuels will decarbonise all transportation forms. Joining SAFAANZ means Black & Veatch can meaningfully contribute to the advancement of sustainable fuels in Australia and New Zealand, given our extensive global engineering and construction experience across aviation fuel, methanol to gasoline, biogas and renewable natural gas.”

About 2.5% of the world’s total carbon emissions are generated by the global aviation sector. In Australia, the industry accounts for about 1% of the country’s GHG emissions.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that SAF could contribute to approximately 65% of the reduction in emissions needed by aviation to reach net zero by 2050. Presently, demand for SAF exceeds its supply. Australia, with abundant residue resources, agriculture and waste, has strong potential to meet both domestic and global SAF supply needs. To realise its potential, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency set aside AUS$30 million in July 2023 to facilitate the development of a SAF industry with production from renewable feedstocks available locally. The SAF Funding Initiative will assess opportunities across the supply chain from renewable feedstock supply to final fuel production, identifying their requirements to enable and scale a domestic SAF industry.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/27072023/black-veatch-to-advance-saf-development/