In the United States (US), renewable fuels producer World Energy, LLC., has announced that it is launching advanced engineering plans to convert its existing assets in Houston, Texas (TX) to launch a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) hub that will enable the company to produce another 250 million (US) gallons (≈ 946 million litres) of SAF annually by 2025.
One of the largest and longest-serving advanced biofuel suppliers in North America, World Energy currently operates seven production sites and 11 distribution sites located across North America.
The company currently operates biodiesel manufacturing plants in Houston, Texas (TX), Natchez, Mississippi (MS), Rome, Georgia (GA), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (PA), and Hamilton, Ontario (ON), Canada.
In Paramount, Los Angeles, California (CA) the company operates a renewable diesel refinery and the world’s first and still America’s SAF plant.
Here the company is in the midst of a US$2 billion expansion project to boost annual capacity to 375 million (US) gallons (≈ 1.4 billion litres) of renewable fuels to decarbonize road, rail, water, and air transport.
World Energy plans to produce 250 million gallons (≈ 946 million litres) of SAF annually by 2024 at its Paramount facility in response to the growing demand for net-zero carbon aviation.
Second SAF facility
World Energy plans to convert its existing biodiesel production and distribution hub in Houston to produce SAF.
Houston is the logical choice for World Energy’s Aviation Zero plant two, said Gene Gebolys, CEO of World Energy.
Acquired in 2016, the facilities are located on the Houston Ship Channel at mile zero of all major US pipelines, with direct deep water access at the heart of the US energy production and distribution complex, and directly connected to two local international airports.
Not only does our positioning here provide unparalleled finished product access but provides tremendous access to global feedstocks, emerging sources of low-carbon hydrogen, and even access to captured carbon to advance the commercialization of innovative new processes for the production of SAF. We’ve been operating here in various capacities for nearly two decades and we recognize why Houston is the beating heart of America’s energy complex, Gene Gebolys said.
Production in Houston will nearly double the company’s SAF volume capacity by 2025, making the low-carbon fuel available to most US and many global markets for the first time.
The move will also get the company more than halfway to meeting its commitment to producing one billion gallons (≈ 3.8 billion litres) of SAF by 2030, five years ahead of that goal.
Amazon Air, United Airlines, JetBlue, Rolls-Royce, and Boeing are among many current partners using SAF to advance low-carbon air travel and to accelerate the drive to large-scale aviation decarbonization.
