In the United States, an interagency team led by Department of Energy (DOE),Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have released a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge Roadmap Implementation Framework.
Developing innovative technologies to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will enable the United States to meet President Biden and Vice President Harris’ climate goals and position it as a global leader in the emerging sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market.
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge Roadmap Implementation Framework highlights current Federal agency capabilities and programs aligned with the actions called out in the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap.
The Framework identifies existing gaps where additional effort, public-private partnerships, and support will be needed to meet the goals outlined in the SAF Grand Challenge.
Advancing sustainable fuel technologies is essential to building a thriving bioeconomy that benefits all Americans while also cutting harmful emissions and delivering healthier communities. This framework highlights the incredible opportunity to unlock exciting new economic opportunities for agricultural and rural communities across the nation and build upon the groundwork laid by the Biden-Harris Administration to support a growing Sustainable Aviation Fuel industry, said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Supports National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization
The SAF Grand Challenge supports the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization aviation goals to reduce all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector by 2050.
The Blueprint, developed by the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a landmark strategy to realize an improved and sustainable transportation future.
On track to reach 2030 SAF production targets
Since the establishment of the SAF Grand Challenge in 2021, which set an ambitious goal to produce 3 billion (US) gallons (≈ 11.36 billion litres) of SAF by 2030, and 35 billion gallons (≈ 132.48 billion litres) of SAF by 2050 to meet 100 percent of domestic jet fuel demand, annual SAF production has dramatically increased —highlighting the growing momentum for this important initiative to reduce carbon emissions from the aviation sector.
By mid-2024, 13 million gallons (≈ 49.2 million litres) of SAF were domestically produced. Announced domestic projects represent a potential for over 3 billion gallons (≈ 11.36 billion litres) of annual SAF production capacity—representing US$44 billion of announced investment — by 2030.
The Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) estimates that about 2 billion gallons (≈ 7.57 billion litres) of SAF are currently expected to come online by 2028; additional volume can be expected if barriers are addressed as described in the Implementation Framework, such as market demand, policy framework, and airline offtake agreements.
Sustainable aviation fuel use expands economic opportunities for American farmers, business owners, and rural communities. This effort highlights the power of scientific innovation to drive us toward our national goals and the potent momentum of government organizations working together to accelerate progress towards a sustainable future for aviation fuels, said Dr Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics, and USDA’s Chief Scientist.
Directional guide
The Implementation Framework is a directional guide for the SAF Grand Challenge Roadmap and demonstrates coordination and planning for the multiple agencies involved with different missions and approaches.
Organized by six Roadmap action areas, the Implementation Framework covers Feedstock Innovation, Conversion Technology Innovation, Building Supply Chains, Policy and Valuation Analysis, Enabling End Use, Communicating Progress and Building Support.
The SAF Grand Challenge interagency team is committed to supporting the achievement of the SAF Grand Challenge Goals as demonstrated through:
- Research and development of sustainable feedstock and fuel production technologies, providing support for technology scale-up and advancing environmental analysis of SAF;
- Support of farmers with climate-smart agriculture practices and research;
- Loan guarantees to commercial-scale SAF projects that utilize innovative technology to convert feedstock to SAF and avoid, reduce, or sequester GHG emissions;
- Provision of capabilities and funding to support SAF qualification, national and international standard-setting, and development of infrastructure and transportation systems.
The Biden-Harris Administration continues collaborating with a broad range of SAF stakeholders including airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, energy producers, researchers, and international participants to build relationships, share and collect data, identify resources, and direct research, development, and SAF deployment.
