The Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines and Boeing are partnering to move toward a significant environmental goal – powering all flights by all airlines at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with sustainable aviation biofuel.
The gateway says it is the first US airport to lay out a long-term roadmap to incorporate aviation biofuel into its infrastructure in a cost-effective, efficient manner.
Executives for the port, Alaska Airlines, and Boeing have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to launch a $250,000 Biofuel Infrastructure Feasibility Study that will assess costs and infrastructure necessary to deliver a blend of aviation biofuel and conventional aircraft fuel at Sea-Tac, a crucial step toward routine biofuel use.
Port of Seattle commissioner, John Creighton says: “As leaders in aviation biofuels, this will send a signal to airlines and biofuel producers that Sea-Tac Airport will be ready to integrate commercial-scale use of aviation biofuels.
“Biofuel infrastructure will make Sea-Tac Airport an attractive option for any airline committing to use biofuel, and will assist in attracting biofuel producers to the region as part of a longer-term market development strategy.”
The longer-term plan is to incorporate significant quantities of biofuel into Sea-Tac’s fuel infrastructure, which is used by all 26 airlines and more than 380,000 flights annually at the airport. Sea-Tac is the 13th busiest airport in the US.
Alaska Airlines senior vice president for communications and external relations, Joe Sprague says the airline wants to incorporate biofuel into flight operations at one or more of its hubs by 2020, with Sea-Tac as a first choice for the Seattle-based airline.
The Port of Seattle will manage the $250,000 study as the biofuel roadmapping process and, as Sea-Tac Airport’s governing authority, would handle the engineering and integration of biofuel infrastructure on Port property such as the airport’s fuel farm.
An RFP for the infrastructure study will be issued in the spring of 2016, and the study is expected to be completed by late 2016. Currently, aviation biofuels are not produced in Washington state and must be imported by truck, rail or barge.
Boeing, which partners globally to develop and commercialise sustainable aviation biofuel, is providing expertise about approaches to develop a regional biofuel supply chain to serve the airport, including fuel types, fuel producers, processing technologies and integration with airplanes.
Approved “drop-in” aviation biofuel is blended directly with regular petroleum-based aircraft fuel and used without any changes to the aircraft or engines.
Using sustainably produced biofuel reduces lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions by 50 to 80 per cent compared to conventional petroleum fuel, according to the US Department of Energy.
Since 2011, when biofuel was approved for commercial aviation, airlines have conducted more than 2,000 passenger flights with a blend of biofuel and conventional petroleum fuel. The Port’s Century Agenda Goal is to reduce aircraft-related carbon emissions at Sea-Tac Airport by 25% by 2037.
In the past five years, Alaska Airlines has become a leader in the pursuit of finding a sustainable supply of biofuels. In 2011, Alaska was the first airline to fly multiple flights using a 20 per cent blend of sustainable aviation biofuel made from used cooking oil and waste animal fat.
In the next year, Alaska will partner with Gevo, to fly the first ever commercial flight on alcohol-to-jet fuel. In addition, as a partner in the Washington State University-led Northwest Advanced Renewable Alliance (NARA), Alaska plans to fly a demonstration flight next year using a new aviation biofuel made from forest-industry waste. Fuel for both demonstration flights must first be independently certified.
