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Delta Announces Next Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Effort: Feasibility Study for a Facility in Washington State
   

September 17, 2019 – Delta announced it is investing $2 million to collaborate with Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels, LLC (NWABF) on a feasibility study of a SAF facility in Washington State. The resulting SAF and additional biofuel products could be used in Delta operations in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The facility would convert forestry residues and slash to SAF under an already industry-approved ASTM pathway, Fischer Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene. The study is expected to be completed by mid-2020 when a decision will be made about moving forward with the project. If the project does move forward, it is anticipated that NWABF will deliver its first fuel by the end of 2023.

Read Delta’s press release here.
Information on NWABF can be found hereand here.

Steve Csonka, Executive Director of CAAFI, said, “It is refreshing to see this announcement from Delta. They have been working for some time, along with the rest of the industry, to find a SAF approach that meets their individual criteria. CAAFI will continue to collaborate with their Fuel and Sustainability teams and assist them in their endeavors. CAAFI is further encouraged that the investments of FAA (through their Aviation Sustainability Center – ASCENT) and USDA (through their NIFA/AFRI CAP activities, specifically the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance) continue to be leveraged as sources for the foundational analysis that allows SAF activity to progress toward commercialization."

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