Carrier will match DOE funding for decarbonization project >>
by: Harvey Chipkin
Southwest Airlines announced an investment in SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC, a company formed by D3MAX, LLC as part of a Department of Energy-backed project to develop and produce scalable, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Funded with a DOE grant matched by Southwest’s investment, SAFFiRE is expected to utilize technology developed by the DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to convert corn stover, a widely available waste feedstock in the US, into renewable ethanol that then would be upgraded into SAF. In 2021, the DOE awarded D3MAX the only pilot-scale grant for SAF production, with a goal to scale technology that could commercialize SAF. According to the NREL, this could produce significant quantities of cost-competitive SAF that could provide an 84% reduction in carbon intensity compared with conventional jet fuel on a life cycle basis. Southwest’s match of the DOE’s grant supports Phase One of the project, which is expected to include technology validation, preliminary design and a business plan for a pilot plant. Bob Jordan, CEO of Southwest, said SAF is critical for decarbonizing the aviation sector. He said the move was a unique opportunity in what could be game-changing technology that could facilitate the replacement of up to approximately 5% of the carrier’s jet fuel with SAF by 2030, with the potential to significantly continue to scale beyond that .In 2021, Southwest set a near-term goal to maintain carbon neutrality at 2019 levels while continuing to grow its operations.
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