Diamond Green Diesel’s SAF to fuel DHL Express flights out of Florida

Darling Ingredients Inc. announced Sept. 25 that its 50/50 joint venture Diamond Green Diesel will provide the first regular supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Florida through an agreement between World Fuel and DHL Express.

Under the terms of the agreement, World Fuel Services will deliver over a two-year period approximately 60 million gallons of blended SAF, of which 18 million gallons will be neat SAF, and will be provided by Valero Marketing and Supply Co., a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp.

This agreement marks one of the first regular deliveries of blended SAF into the state of Florida.

The neat SAF produced by Diamond Green Diesel, a joint venture between Valero and Darling Ingredients, will be produced from used cooking oil and food waste, certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System and have on average at least 80 percent lower lifecycle greenhouse-gas emissions when compared to conventional jet fuel, which will be used to offer DHL Express customers emission-reduced air-transportation services via DHL GoGreen Plus.

Based on the book-and-claim approach, the SAF uplifted by DHL can be used by DHL’s GoGreen Plus customers globally to reduce their CO2-equivalent emissions.

The reductions achieved (scope 3) are passed on to customers in the form of certificates.

“As we continue expanding Diamond Green Diesel’s SAF sales book, we’re not only increasing market reach but also driving a meaningful shift toward a more sustainable energy landscape,” said Randall C. Stuewe, chairman and CEO of Darling Ingredients. “We feel good about where we’re headed—not just in growing our SAF contracts, but in the completion and startup of DGD’s SAF operations, which remain on track for fourth quarter. DGD continues to be the lowest-cost, most profitable producer in the market, reinforcing our commitment to delivering both environmental and economic value.”

With SAF expected to be online during the fourth quarter of this year, the DGD Port Arthur plant in Texas will have the capability to upgrade approximately 50 percent of its current 470-million-gallon annual production capacity to SAF.

With the completion of this project, DGD is expected to be one of the largest SAF manufacturers in the world.

Darling Ingredients operates over 260 facilities in more than 15 countries and processes about 15 percent of the world’s animal agricultural byproducts, produces about 30 percent of the world’s collagen (both gelatin and hydrolyzed collagen), and is one of the largest producers of renewable energy.