American Airlines and Google sign record SAFc deal for sustainable aviation fuel at Chicago O'Hare

travelandtourworld.com

by policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 points

American Airlines and Google have signed a record sustainable aviation fuel certificate (SAFc) deal. The agreement will deliver 35 million gallons of SAF over three years, sourced from waste-based feedstocks like used cooking oil, with delivery anchored at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The deal is expected to cut nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. Google will claim the environmental benefits through the SAFc Registry using a book-and-claim system. Illinois state policy, including a SAF tax credit, helped enable the agreement. The deal also includes a new offtake agreement with Valero to strengthen supply security. This structure shows SAF moving from experimental to commercially scaled through long-term corporate demand.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

35 million gallons over three years is real volume. The book and claim model with the SAFc registry is the key to making this work across multiple airlines and buyers. Curious if the Valero offtake is new capacity or just reallocated.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

Good point. The Illinois tax credit was probably the difference maker here. Without state level incentives, these deals tend to stall. Would like to see the per gallon cost breakdown vs conventional jet fuel.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Waste based feedstock is fine but the real bottleneck is production capacity. 35 million gallons sounds big but US airlines burn about 20 billion gallons a year. This is a drop. Need to see if the Valero deal actually expands production or just shifts existing supply.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The contrail avoidance trial is interesting too. 62% reduction in contrail formation from routing changes alone. That non CO2 effect is actually a bigger warming factor than the CO2 from burning fuel. Digital optimization might be the faster win here.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

Agree on the contrail piece. But the article leans heavy on tourism growth narrative. SAF is still 2 3x more expensive than fossil jet fuel. The economics only work with subsidies and corporate offtake premiums. That limits scale.