NREL Releases SAF State of the Industry Report Parts 1 and 2

On July 31, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced the release of the first two parts of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) State-of-Industry Report. The report, released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in partnership with BETO, focuses on how to achieve the near-term fuel production goals identified in the SAF Grand Challenge, a joint effort between DOE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and other government agencies. Two parts of the report were released:

Part 1, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Industry Status Report: The State of the SAF Production Processexamines the overall status of the SAF production process and covers challenges and gaps in achieving near-term goals related to the SAF Grand Challenge. According to BETO, this segment of the report aims to address the broad challenges facing the bioenergy industry in producing SAF and is not specific to any single feedstock or production pathway; and

Part 2, Aviation Fuel Industry Status Report: Hydroprocessed Esters and the Fatty Acid Pathwayfocuses on assessing the current supply chain for the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) pathway. BETO notes that plants using this pathway “already produce large volumes of liquid fuel today and are expected to play a major role in meeting the 2030 production target of the SAF Grand Challenge.” This segment of the report examines potential obstacles that could impede commercial production and use of SAF from these plants.

BETO states that NREL and DOE would like this report to serve as a resource for the emerging SAF manufacturing industry and to support communication among stakeholders involved in the SAF supply chain. According to BETO, additional sections of the report addressing other commercial and near-commercial paths to help achieve near-term SAF volume goals “will be forthcoming in the coming fiscal years.”

(Show source.)