Chevron U.S.A. Inc., through its Chevron Products Company division, Delta Air Lines, and Google on Sept. 7 announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to track sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) test batch emissions data using cloud-based technology.

Sustainable aviation fuel is produced from biofeedstocks that can reduce lifecycle carbon intensity significantly when compared to conventional jet fuel. The companies hope to create a common, more transparent model for analyzing potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions that could then be adopted by organizations considering SAF programs. Through this project, Chevron plans to produce a test batch of SAF at its El Segundo Refinery and to sell SAF to Delta at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a major global hub for Delta’s fleet.

“As aviation continues to define a more sustainable future, understanding the environmental impacts of our operations will be paramount as we look to mitigate climate change,” said Amelia DeLuca, Delta’s managing director of Sustainability. “On top of being the first carbon neutral airline on a global basis, we’ve pledged to replace 10 percent of our jet fuel with SAF by 2030. This partnership has the potential to help us achieve that goal while providing important data and analytics that demonstrate the environmental integrity of our commitment.”

“This MOU builds on our previously announced effort to be the first refiner in the U.S. to ratably co-process biofeedstocks in an FCC through a capital-efficient investment program,” said Andy Walz, president of Americas Fuels & Lubricants for Chevron. “The data sharing and transparency component of this partnership will help us better understand the emissions from sustainable aviation fuel production and delivery, supporting our goal to advance lower carbon fuels.”

In parallel, Google Cloud plans to build a data and analytics framework to securely ingest and analyze emissions data from Delta and Chevron related to the SAF test batch. The goal of the pilot will be to provide better visibility into data from their project, allowing for greater transparency and improved reporting of SAF emissions.

“Google Cloud has a history of pioneering emissions reduction technologies and we’re looking forward to exploring the use of data and analytics capabilities to advance renewable fuel understanding and adoption,” said Larry Cochrane, director, Global Energy Solutions, Google Cloud.