Southwest Airlines Co. has announced a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply agreement with Valero Marketing and Supply Co. (Valero), a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corp., to bring SAF to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), the largest announced SAF airport supply contract in the state.

Under the two-year agreement, Southwest® will purchase at least 3.6 million gallons. pure SAF (approximately 12 million gallons blended) for use in its operations as early as Q4 2014, with the option to purchase up to 25 million gallons. pure SAF (approximately 84 million gallons blended) over the life of the agreement. On a blended basis, this would represent up to 35% of Southwest’s aviation fuel from MDW, based on the airline’s consumption last year.

“Since day one as governor, I have been committed to making Illinois a national leader in sustainability and clean energy, which is why last year I was proud to support a nation-leading SAF tax credit whose impact we have already seen “Adoption rates in Illinois,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Our airports are among the largest and most connected in the country, and I am thrilled that Southwest and Midway International Airport are working together to increase sustainable fuel consumption on their flights – a significant step toward a clean energy future.”

The pure SAF is expected to be produced from waste-based raw materials, including used cooking oil, animal tallow and distillery corn oil, with lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions of approximately 74% to 84% compared to conventional jet fuel1. In addition, the SAF is expected to be certified at the batch level through a CORSIA-recognized Sustainability Certification Scheme (SCS), providing independent verification that the SAF meets or exceeds all requirements of Southwest’s SAF policy.

Diamond Green Diesel, a joint venture (JV) between a subsidiary of Valero and Darling Ingredients Inc., will supply the pure SAF, which will be blended with Valero’s conventional jet fuel and delivered via existing fuel delivery infrastructure, including Explorer Pipeline and West Shore Chicagoland- Pipeline network.

“I commend Southwest Airlines for taking this significant step forward to provide the first supply of sustainable aviation fuel for its flights from Midway International Airport,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). “One of the most important things we can do to make American aviation more sustainable is to dramatically increase the supply of SAF. At the federal level, I will continue to push to increase the supply of U.S. grown and manufactured SAF from a broad range of raw materials – a true win-win solution that supports local farmers and mixers while reducing our carbon footprint country reduced.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/clean-fuels/18102024/southwest-airlines-brings-saf-to-chicago-midway-international-airport/