Boeing invests in Australian sustainable aviation fuel production
Boeing announced Aug. 20 that it has become an early investor in Wagner Sustainable Fuels to support the development of its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in Brisbane, Queensland, increasing Australian SAF supply and reducing aviation’s carbon emissions.
Boeing’s investment in the Wagner refinery is part of its strategy to support development of local SAF supply and expand global access to SAF, which remains the most effective lever to decarbonize aviation by 2050.
SAF, which reduces CO2 emissions by up to 84 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel, currently represents 0.1 percent of global jet-fuel use.
“We’re proud to invest in this project because it will make a real difference in developing the SAF industry in Australia,” said Kimberly Camrass, Boeing’s sustainability lead for Australia and New Zealand. “Accelerating local SAF supply enables Australia’s own climate goals and supports the global commercial-aviation industry’s commitment of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.”
Camrass added, “SAF facilities such as Wagner’s new Brisbane site also strengthen Australia’s fuel security, since the country currently imports 90 percent of its liquid fuel including jet fuel, and the demand is expected to increase by 75 percent towards 2050.”
Wagner Sustainable Fuels CEO Matt Doyle said, “Our partnership with Boeing to advance the Wagner SAF refinery in Brisbane is a commitment to proactively grow the SAF industry in Australia. The investment from the Queensland government and Boeing will underpin Australia’s first, fully integrated SAF production facility. It will create local jobs, contribute to fuel security and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from aviation.”
Building on an initial Boeing-Wagner partnership announced in April, Boeing’s new investment will support an engineering study for the eventual construction of a biorefinery to manufacture SAF.
The Brisbane facility will use waste-to-SAF technology that converts ethanol produced from waste-based feedstocks such as industrial waste into SAF.
“This project allows Australia to continue to stand out as a leader in SAF, now leveraging the solution we cocreated with LanzaTech to convert waste carbon into sustainable fuels,” said LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis. “The combination of our platform with the front-end of LanzaTech’s carbon-recycling technology makes it possible to create SAF supply in Australia using local waste streams, further supporting the country’s energy security and protecting its natural environment.”
Andrew Parker, Qantas’ chief sustainability officer, said, “Domestic SAF production will be critical to decarbonizing the aviation industry and Australia meeting its emissions-reduction targets. We have a target of using 10 percent SAF by 2030 and have invested in Queensland biofuel production through our $400 million Climate Fund.”
Wagner Sustainable Fuels is company focused on reducing CO2 emissions from Australia’s hard-to-abate sectors including aviation and heavy transport through the supply of SAF and renewable diesel.
As part of the Wagner family’s group of companies, Wagner Sustainable Fuels is leading the development of renewable liquid fuels through the implementation of SAF blending facilities and renewable diesel supply chains in the near term and SAF/renewable diesel production facilities from waste products in line with global demand and Australia’s need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions across hard-to-abate sectors.
