DG Fuels awards Maire subsidiary early engineering, licensing, PDP contract for Nebraska SAF project
Maire S.p.A. announced Dec. 4 that, through its waste-to-chemicals subsidiary MyRechemical, has been awarded an early engineering, licensing and process-design package (PDP) contract by DG Fuels.
The contract is based on the proprietary NX Circular™ gasification technology for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in Nebraska announced in August.
DG Fuels’ Nebraska-based SAF plant is expected to be operational in 2029.
Its annual production capacity is being designed at nearly 120 million gallons per year of SAF manufactured from residual biomass, according to Maire*.
The licensing and process-design package phase is subject to notice to proceed and is necessary for the implementation of the gasification and gas-treatment units, which are expected to be able to process 1 million tons per year of corn stover, representing the initial step in SAF production on site.
The project meets the requirements set by the U.S. DOE’s Clean Fuels & Products Shot initiative, which aims to decarbonize the aviation sector by industrializing SAF production, according to Maire.
Additionally, SAF derived from biomass or waste resources is eligible under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation established by the International Civil Aviation Organization to reduce airlines’ carbon-offsetting requirements.
The combined capacity of DG Fuels’ SAF plants in Louisiana and Nebraska could potentially account for 8 percent of the U.S. SAF mandate by 2030, Maire stated.
“This project builds on the successful completion of the engineering phase for DG Fuels’ SAF plant in Louisiana, announced in December 2023,” said Fabio Fritelli, the managing director of NextChem, the Maire subsidiary under which MyRechemical was launched in 2020.
“Together, these two projects rank among the largest global SAF initiatives, showcasing NextChem’s leadership in advancing circular solutions for decarbonization and its commitment to the strategic market of North America,” Fritelli added.
*In DG Fuels’ August announcement, the company said the SAF plant will be scaled at 193 mgy.
