Southwest to use Diamond Green Diesel SAF at Chicago Midway International Airport

Darling Ingredients Inc. announced Oct. 17 that its 50/50 joint venture Diamond Green Diesel will provide supply of neat sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), to be blended with conventional jet fuel, for delivery to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).

As part of the two-year supply agreement between Valero and Southwest Airlines, Southwest will purchase a minimum of 3.6 million gallons of neat SAF (about 12 million gallons blended) for use in its operations as early as the fourth quarter of this year, with the option to purchase up to 25 million gallons of neat SAF (about 84 million gallons blended) over the agreement’s term.

The neat SAF is expected to be produced from waste-based feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, animal tallow and distillers corn oil, with a lifecycle greenhouse-gas emission reduction up to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.

Furthermore, the SAF is expected to be certified by a CORSIA-approved sustainability-certification scheme (SCS) at the batch level, providing Southwest with third-party verification that the SAF meets or exceeds all the requirements of Southwest’s SAF policy.

“We continue to build momentum in SAF sales, solidifying our position as the producer of choice in the industry,” said Darling Chairman and CEO Randall C. Stuewe.

“With a strong track record and growing demand, we are confident our contracts will continue to expand, reinforcing our commitment to be the most cost-efficient, reliable SAF producer in the market,” he added.

With SAF production expected to be online this quarter, the Diamond Green Diesel plant in Port Arthur, 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, Diamond Green Diesel is expected to be one of the largest SAF manufacturers in the world.