Avfuel Corporation and Neste have entered into a strategic partnership to create a continuous supply of sustainable aviation fuel in the United States. Neste will provide Avfuel with SAF in volumes able to meet the growing demands of Avfuel’s customers, including FBOs, airports, flight departments, OEMs and commercial operators. Avfuel will be a branded SAF distributor for Neste and will sell it under the brand name Neste My Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

The strategic partnership positions Avfuel as one of the first US companies able to supply its customers with SAF on a continuous basis. Monterey Jet Center, an Avfuel-branded FBO based at Monterey Regional airport in Monterey, California, will be the first customer to receive a consistent supply of SAF. With the first delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2021, Neste and Avfuel will work with Monterey to ensure that the supply chain, from production through invoicing, functions smoothly before rolling the programme out to a larger customer base.

Craig Sincock, president and CEO of Avfuel, says: “This strategic partnership is an exciting development for the industry’s sustainability initiative and a natural next step in response to aviation’s growing demand for SAF. It combines Neste’s leading SAF production and marketing expertise with Avfuel’s leading distribution logistics and branding proficiencies for our global network of FBOs and fuel consumers. Together, we are able to support aviation’s sustainability goals and enhance supply availability at a commercial scale, filling an immense gap in the industry’s supply chain. Avfuel is proud to partner with the Neste team, who demonstrate a deep commitment to aviation and sustainability efforts for a brighter, cleaner world.”

Neste VP for renewable aviation in North America Chris Cooper adds: “This collaboration is about so much more than just creating a supply chain. We are really providing passengers a meaningful way to reduce their carbon footprint when travelling on a business or private aircraft. Thanks to great partners like Avfuel, travellers who care about the health of our planet will be able to choose to board an aircraft flying on SAF.”

Neste has been at the vanguard of sustainable aviation fuel production for nearly a decade and the company expects to have the capacity to produce some 1.5 million tons (515 million gallons) of SAF annually by 2023. Neste’s SAF is made from sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue materials, such as used cooking oil for example. It is a drop-in fuel that offers an immediate way to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft, requiring no new investments, modifications or changes to the aircraft or fuel distribution procedures.

Prior to use, the Neste My SAF is blended with petroleum-based jet fuel and then the blended product is verified to meet ASTM D-1655 specification for jet fuel. In its neat form and over its lifecycle, Neste’s SAF can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 per cent compared to fossil jet fuel. Once blended at a 35% ratio, Avfuel anticipates a 19 metric ton reduction in carbon emissions per truck load.