The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an ambitious initiative with significant implications for the future of flight by focusing on the advancement of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In a bid to steer aviation towards net-zero emissions in the next 25 years, SAF has become a focal point as of late. SAFs, derived from unconventional sources, have garnered substantial investments from airlines and other stakeholders. Dive deeper into this pivotal development and continue reading below.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened up a multimillion dollar grant program intended to accelerate the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) rollout.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is trying to reach net-zero aviation emissions by 2050 — but we’re a long way off from zero-emissions aircraft, if they ever arrive.
- That’s left airlines and others pouring tons of money and resources into SAFs, which are made from used cooking oil, municipal waste, and other similar sources.
Details: The FAA is now accepting applications for $245 million in SAF infrastructure project grants, the agency announced Monday.
- Such projects “will focus on producing, transporting and blending” SAFs, and “build up regional SAF supply chains and increase SAF use,” the FAA said in a press release.
- The money comes by way of the Inflation Reduction Act, which also included SAF production credits.
State of play: SAF production is steadily increasing, thanks in part to investment from airlines and others.
- Yet production needs to be dramatically increased for SAFs to have a meaningful impact on overall aviation emissions, as Axios’ Andrew Freedman has reported.
One big constraint: There’s only so much raw material available that can be turned into SAFs in the first place — and plenty of competition for those limited resources.
- There’s also a need for SAF-specific infrastructure — the target of the FAA’s new grant program.
Plus: The FAA is also offering up another $47 million in grants for other low-emissions aviation projects, such as efforts to boost aircraft fuel efficiency.