US-headed renewable fuels developer and producer Aemetis, Inc. has announced that it has signed an offtake agreement with compatriot Delta Air Lines Inc. (Delta) for 250 million (US) gallons (≈ 946.25 million litres) of blended fuel containing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to be delivered over the 10-year term of the agreement.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provides significant environmental benefits compared to petroleum jet fuel, including a lower lifecycle carbon footprint.
Delta’s agreement with Aemetis builds on Delta’s current effort for a future of net-zero aviation, which includes committing to airline carbon-neutrality from March 2020 onward, aspiring to replace 10 percent of its conventional jet fuel consumption with SAF by the end of 2030, and committing to set science-based targets aligned with the Paris Agreement.
The SAF is expected to be produced by the Aemetis renewable jet/diesel plant under development on a 125 acre former US Army Ammunition production plant site in Riverbank, California (CA). The blended SAF is expected to be available for use by Delta starting in 2024.
When Delta committed to being carbon neutral, we also committed to continued investment and collaboration with others in the industry. This supply agreement is an important step toward the expansion of SAF, which is not only important in helping us achieve our net-zero aviation goals, but also in supporting our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals, said Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s Managing Director of Sustainability.
The aggregate value of the agreement is estimated to be more than US$1 billion, including Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), 45Q, and tax credits.
The 90 million gallon per year Aemetis Carbon Zero sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel plant, under development in two phases in Riverbank, California, is designed to produce below zero carbon intensity renewable fuels by utilizing cellulosic hydrogen from waste forest and orchard wood along with onsite CO2 carbon sequestration capacity, said Eric McAfee, Chairman, and CEO of Aemetis.
Powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, the Aemetis Carbon Zero plant design utilizes cellulosic hydrogen made from carbon-negative waste wood. The below-zero carbon intensity (CI), cellulosic hydrogen then is used to hydrotreat vegetable or other renewable oils to produce SAF and renewable diesel.
The process technology is licensed from Axens (France), a global technology provider to the oil and chemical industries.
To further reduce carbon intensity, the Aemetis Carbon Zero production process includes capturing and injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) from the production plant into a well at the Riverbank plant site to permanently sequester an estimated 200 000 tonnes per annum of CO2.
