Boeing, Wagner advance Australia’s sustainable aviation fuel industry

Photo: Boeing

Boeing announced April 19 that it and Wagner Sustainable Fuels will collaborate on growing the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry to help meet Australia’s airline demand for jet fuel, which is expected to increase by 75 percent over the next 25 years.

“Wagner’s sustainability goals align with Boeing’s work to advance aviation decarbonization and energy security through renewable energy including SAF, advanced technologies, operational efficiency and fleet renewal,” said Kim Camrass, the sustainability lead for Boeing in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

“Our agreement is another step forward in realizing the recommendations identified in the Boeing/CSIRO SAF Roadmap,” Camrass added.

The 2023 SAF Roadmap identified Australia’s prime position to develop a domestic SAF industry by scaling the supply of SAF production while reducing costs, as well as the investment required in R&D to support emerging technologies.

“We’re working closely with the Australian government’s Jet Zero Council to overcome the challenges required to build a domestic SAF industry, such as feedstock availability, supply chain constraints and aligning to international standards,” Camrass said.

Wagner Sustainable Fuels has begun the design and construction of Australia’s first steady supply of SAF within the fuels’ precinct at the Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba, Queensland, to blend SAF to international aviation regulations. 

“In collaboration with Boeing, the Wellcamp blending facility will demonstrate the greenhouse-gas emissions-reduction benefits of SAF for our customers, provide a focus for federal and state policy makers and introduce the supply chain to this potential AUD$3 billion-plus (USD$1.93 billion-plus) per year industry,” said Matt Doyle, CEO of Wagner Sustainable Fuels.

“We’re proud to contribute to the building blocks of a sovereign SAF production industry with this Australian-first facility and anticipate by the end of 2024, this facility will mark the start of the supply of SAF in Australia on a consistent basis,” Doyle said.

Unlike conventional jet fuel, SAF is produced from renewable sources, like agricultural waste, animal fats, vegetable oils and municipal solid waste, and significantly reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s lifecycle, making it a more sustainable alternative for powering aircraft.