Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandates across the EU and continuing challenges moving oil through the Strait of Hormuz have increased awareness of SAF and heightened the urgency to scale production and deployment, according to Cindy Tomei, president of the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Institute (SAFII).
Speaking on “The Future of Flight Runs on SAF” panel at the recent second-annual Global Aerospace Summit in St. Louis, she said that as demand for SAF continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important to build the infrastructure needed to move fuel from production facilities to airports.
“Speed is really of the essence, whether it is getting SAF scaled up regardless of what the feedstock is, but also having the right infrastructure to get it transported, stored, and blended with jet fuel, so that it can actually be used,” Tomei said.
She has seen acceleration in industry development with increasing clarity around the federal 45Z tax credit and improvements in calculating carbon intensity scores, which help determine incentive eligibility.
As the conference focused on U.S. Midwest aerospace contributions, the panel also highlighted the important role regional agriculture can play in supporting renewable fuel feedstock production. Panelists noted that meeting future demand will require additional feedstocks and innovative crops that can complement existing farming operations while providing new revenue opportunities from existing acreage for producers.
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