The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it will dedicate $291 million towards sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)-focused projects, in hopes of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by 2050. The grants, part of the Biden administration’s Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program, will be distributed across 36 projects in 23 states, with $244.5 million dedicated to infrastructure-related SAF projects and $46.5 million toward developing new low-emission aviation technology.
Project grants include $240,000 awarded to the City of Atlanta to conduct a study on SAF infrastructure, distribution and supply-chain needs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL); $16.8 million awarded to renewable chemicals company Gevo, Inc. to convert an existing Minnesota fuel facility to an alcohol-to-jet SAF production center; $2.7 million awarded to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to build a test facility designed to develop high-powered electrified plane technology; $8 million to blended wing body developers JetZero, Inc. to continue work on fuel efficient blended-wing-body airplanes; $275,300.10 to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities for a study on the feasibility of SAF production, transportation and storage at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC); and $11,299,500 to the Phillips 66 energy company for SAF blending and storage at Portland International Airport (PDX).
“The projects are instrumental in advancing our environmental and economic sustainability goals by facilitating the development and implementation of sustainable aviation fuels,” said Laurence Wildgoose, FAA assistant administrator for policy, international affairs and environment. “All grant recipients are based in the U.S. and are working towards putting the aviation sector on a path to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to enhancing the safety, sustainability and efficiency of our national air transportation system—and reaching our mid-century target of net-zero emissions,” added U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “These grants will help put the world on a path toward decarbonizing aviation while fostering domestic economic growth and ensuring the U.S. retains its global leadership in aviation.”
