Detroit Metro Airport Ready for 7K Gallon Delivery of Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable aviation fuel producer Montana Renewables has delivered a shipment of 7,000 gallons of SAF to Dearborn, Michigan's Buckeye Pipeline facility, to be transported to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) through pipeline.
The SAF produced and blended by MRL will be used by Delta Air Lines. Delta has integrated SAF into other flights and airports recently, including Minneapolis-St. Paul and Los Angeles International.
"Supplying the SAF to DTW marks another significant milestone in the decarbonization of air travel," said Bruce Fleming, CEO of MRL, in a statement. "Not only does it bring SAF to Detroit flights, but we are especially pleased to pioneer camelina oil as a non-food renewable that provides additional cash crop potential for farmers."
In 2022, Delta announced it would offtake 75 million gallons of SAF from Gevo annually for seven years. The transaction was seen as a major jump-start for the sustainable aviation fuel industry.
Sustainable aviation fuel is made up of renewable bio stocks and, once fully developed, can deliver the same energy density and properties of traditional fossil jet fuel. SAF’s emission profile is often 80% less carbon and greenhouse gas-intensive than jet fuel and can be blended in to reduce emissions for airlines.
Major carriers such as Southwest, United and Virgin Atlantic are exploring the integration of SAF into their fuel mixes. Earlier this year, Southwest Airlines acquired SAFFiRE Renewables as part of the investment portfolio of its wholly owned subsidiary Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures (SARV) to create more opportunities for Southwest to obtain scalable SAF.
Several professional sports franchises, including the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, have made temporary agreements to use SAF on team flights.
SAF is one of many paths to net zero for the large-scale commercial and industrial energy customers. Track them all with the free EnergyTech Transition E-Newsletter
