The Federal Aviation Administration on Aug. 16 awarded $244.5 million to 22 projects that produce, transport, blend or store sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and for scoping studies related to SAF infrastructure needs. 

The awards were made as part of $291 million in awards made under the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) program. Funding was made available under the Inflation Reduction Act. In addition to the SAF funding, approximately $46.5 million will be shared by 14 projects that aim to develop, demonstrate or apply low-emission aviation technologies. 

“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 FAA funded seven SAF Tier 1 project that focus on SAF supply chain studies to identify infrastructure needs. SAF Tier 1 awards include: 

• $106,875 to CNX Green Ventures LLC for a SAF logistics study project to gather insights on the transportation of SAF from Pittsburg International Airport to various regional airports
• $299,692 to the City of Philadelphia Department of Aviation for a SAF implementation and infrastructure feasibility study to provide recommendations for infrastructure improvements and additional project opportunities for the City of Philadelphia to implement in support of SAF uptake in the region
• $202,500 to the University of Virginia to support supply chain modeling and analysis study for supplying SAF to Washington Dulles International Airport
• $285,443.65 to Piedmont Triad Airport Authority to support a study to identify new or converted infrastructure required to facilitate SAF utilization at Piedmont Triad Airport
• $240,000 to City of Atlanta Department of Aviation to study regional supply chains and infrastructure and distribution needs to enable SAF deployment at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• $300,324 to Siemens Energy Inc. to support a scoping study to develop plans for a pilot direct air capture SAF production plant and identify locations where production facilities would best support regional supply chains
• $275,300.10 to the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities for a study to explore the feasibility of the production, transportation, blending, storage and use of SAF in Alaska

The FAA also funded 15 SAF Tier 2 projects that are building infrastructure for SAF production, transportation, blending and storage. SAF Tier 2 awards include: 

• $26.76 million to BP Products North America Inc. to initiate SAF production and blending at the company’s existing Cherry Point Refinery, with the project expected to produce 10-25 million gallons of SAF annually
• $1.42 million to Phillips 66 Co. to enable storage of blended SAF at the Phillips 66 Sacramento terminal
• $50 million to Martinez Renewables LLC to support facility updates to enable SAF production as synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK), with the facility expected to produce 100 to 350 million gallons of SAF annually starting in 2027
• $3.92 million to Phillips 66 Co. to support an aromatic saturation catalyst change for increased SAF production at the Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex
• $17.94 million to Equilon Enterprises LLC to install infrastructure for receiving and blending neat SAF into the jet fuel distribution network located at the Shell Carson terminal in Southern California
• $21.96 million to World Energy LLC to support the an infrastructure project to deliver Jet A/SAF blended fuel directly from the Alt Air World Energy LLC SAF production facility in Paramount, California, directly to Los Angeles International Airport
• $6.27 million to Phillips 66 Co. to allow for blended SAF storage at the Phillips 66 Torrance Terminal in Torrance, California
• $16.8 million to Gevo Inc. to convert an existing production facility in Luverne, Minnesota, to a fully integrated alcohol-to-jet production facility
• $24.05 million to Buckeye Terminals LLC to upgrade SAF distribution equipment, storage facilities, and rail off-loading capabilities at four existing Buckeye terminals 
• $24.05 million to Buckeye Terminals LLC to upgrade SAF distribution equipment, storage facilities, and rail off-loading capabilities at four existing Buckeye terminals 
• $24.05 million to Buckeye Terminals LLC to upgrade SAF distribution equipment, storage facilities, and rail off-loading capabilities at four existing Buckeye terminals 
• $18.33 million to Citgo Holding Inc. to implement modifications to an existing Chicago Fuel terminal to enable the delivery, unloading, blending and use of up to 42,000 gallons per day of neat SAF
• $3.1 million to LanzaJet Inc. to support the installation of a pre-fractionation column and ethanol storage take at Freedom Pine Fuels alcohol-to-jet SAF production plant in Soperton, Georgia, enabling the production of an additional 518,000 gallons of SAF annually 
• $16.48 million to Colonial Pipeline Co. to increase SAF storage and blending capability of Colonial’s Baton Rouge facility
• $14.63 million Arcadia eFuels to support front end engineering design (FEED) for Project Arc, a proposed 23.2 MMgy SAF plant in Gregory, Texas, that is expected to be operational in 2028

A full list of awardees is available on the FAA website.