Velocys : White House commits SAF pledge

Velocys has been cited in a White House briefing paper which sets out the Biden administration's plans to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) over the coming years to meet net zero and economic goals.

In the briefing FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Advances the Future of Sustainable Fuels in American Aviation, the White House states that coordinated leadership from federal government, including action across the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the General Services Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the aviation sector will 'result in the production and use of billions of gallons of sustainable fuel that will enable aviation emissions to drop 20% by 2030 when compared to business as usual'.

Key actions being taken include the launch of a new 'Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge' to inspire the dramatic increase in the production of SAF to at least 3 billion gallons per year by 2030 and new support for SAF projects and fuel producers totalling up to $4.3 billion alongside ongoing funding opportunities.

Velocys' Bayou Fuels project, located in Natchez, Mississippi, is cited as a project that will 'help us achieve our 2030 goals'. The factsheet notes: 'Velocys plans to produce 300 million gallons of blended SAF per year from waste woody biomass and MSW [municipal solid waste] processed by Fischer-Tropsch processing'.

With the US SAF industry poised to grow rapidly, the briefing also points to federal plans to release an aviation climate action plan in the near future, which will set forth a comprehensive plan for the sector.

Velocys welcomes the Biden administration's commitment to using federal powers to accelerate the United States' deployment of SAF. This highlights the need for technology solutions such as ours to achieve aviation decarbonisation and climate change mitigation.

The full White House briefing can be read here.