Delta’s trade main full-court press on Sustainable Aviation Gasoline continues at Midwest Hubs

Delta’s trade main full-court press on Sustainable Aviation Gasoline continues at Midwest Hubs.

For the primary time in each Minnesota’s and Michigan’s aviation historical past, sustainable aviation gas (SAF) has arrived through pipeline to 2 Delta hubs, Minneapolis-St. Paul Worldwide Airport (MSP) and Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW). The 2 7,000+-gallon shipments of SAF had been made out of Minnesota and North Dakota-grown winter camelina¹ as a part of Delta’s work with the Minnesota SAF Hub coalition.

The facility of the Minnesota SAF Hub and the worth of invested partnerships had been on full show, because the community of each coalition members and outdoors companions got here collectively throughout the worth chain to work collectively to finally ship SAF to MSP and DTW: 

• Cargill labored with Minnesota and North Dakota growers final fall to plant 2,000 acres of winter camelina, which was harvested this summer season and used as a feedstock for the SAF. 

• The camelina was processed at Cargill’s West Fargo crush plant after which despatched on to Montana Renewables, LLC (MRL), the place it was refined and blended into SAF. 

• The camelina SAF was bought to Delta and transported by Shell Aviation from Montana Renewables immediately: 

• In Minnesota, to the MSP Airport fueling facility the place it entered the MSP gas provide. 

• In Michigan, to a Buckeye Companions facility in Dearborn, Michigan the place it was then pumped immediately through pipeline to DTW. 

• Delta lined the price of SAF wanted for each airports to make use of the SAF on Delta flights 

Amelia DeLuca, Delta Chief Sustainability Officer, stated:

The truth that SAF has been delivered to MSP and DTW is monumental as a result of not solely is it the primary time SAF has arrived at these airports, each of that are vital Delta hubs, nevertheless it additionally demonstrates why collaboration cross the whole SAF worth chain is so vital – we want all the fitting stakeholders and companions on the desk to drive outcomes.

The supply of SAF was additionally made doable by present federal and state insurance policies, just like the Inflation Discount Act and Minnesota’s SAF credit score. Delta is working throughout key states for continued and new authorities incentives to extend manufacturing, enhance cost-competitiveness and degree the enjoying subject from farmers to producers for extra equitable entry to SAF. 

Delta’s work to succeed in net-zero emissions by 2050 whereas delivering a extra sustainable way forward for journey focuses on what we fly, how we fly and the gas we use. With round 90% of Delta’s carbon emissions coming from jet gas, SAF is the most effective and quickest recognized strategy to scale back carbon emissions within the close to time period on our journey to net-zero emissions by 2050.    

SAF is a protected and licensed various jet gas that can scale back lifecycle carbon emissions of jet gas by greater than 80% in comparison with typical jet gas. Nevertheless, as a nascent trade, there’s not sufficient SAF being produced in the present day to gas the world’s airways for a single week, and it isn’t at a commercially viable worth level. For this reason the work to scale SAF in Minnesota and Michigan is so crucial, and why coalitions just like the Minnesota SAF Hub can drive outcomes that ship SAF on to our hubs. 

During the last 12 months, the Minnesota SAF Hub, of which Delta is an anchor accomplice, has made significant progress towards working the primary large-scale, end-to-end SAF worth chain within the US. In Sept. 2024, Delta and the Minnesota SAF Hub introduced main milestones, together with the primary mixing facility in Minnesota in collaboration with Delta and Flint Hills Sources. The ability will mix as much as 30 million gallons of neat SAF at its Pine Mix Refinery in Minnesota and is predicted to be operational by the top of 2025.   

Whereas SAF manufacturing is scaling, the truth is that offer in the present day stays restricted and it isn’t all the time bodily out there on the proper location. Somewhat than transporting SAF from the place it’s produced usually in California and shortly in Minnesota, to the place airways want it, the trade makes use of a “e-book and declare” mannequin to allow uplift of SAF the place it’s out there to displace typical jet gas, and declare it wherever it’s wanted. That’s what Delta did on two notable flights this previous summer season – one to Normandy to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion and a second for the LA28 Flag Flight the place it carried the Olympic flag from Paris to Los Angeles.  This mannequin is the optimum strategy to make the most of present SAF with out creating larger emissions by transporting it farther away from the place it’s produced.  In different circumstances, like in Minnesota and Michigan now, SAF may be dropped into present gas provide instead of typical jet gas in the identical location the place will probably be claimed.  

Though Delta will not be flying 100% SAF flights, the complexity of decarbonization means nobody firm or trade can do it alone – it takes all of us working collectively to construct a extra sustainable way forward for flight. That’s why the Minnesota SAF Hub’s work is so vital – it really works collectively throughout the whole SAF worth chain to develop wise methods to provide, course of and ship SAF; and it may well function the blueprint for a mannequin that may be replicated to scale SAF throughout the nation.  

¹ This SAF is made out of the winter camelina plant that produces an oil wealthy seed, which may be crushed, refined and used to provide SAF. It has one of many decrease carbon depth scores of the various feedstocks getting used for SAF manufacturing in the present day. It’s also one of many many feedstocks present in Minnesota that can be utilized to provide SAF, together with corn, soybeans, canola, steady dwelling cowl crops, agricultural biomass, woody biomass, hydrogen, waste oils, fat and extra. 

READ the newest information shaping the biofuels market at Biofuels Central

Delta’s trade main full-court press on Sustainable Aviation Gasoline continues at Midwest Hubs. supply