Letters Of Intent Signed To Negotiate Purchase Of Biomass-Derived Jet Fuel from Solena Fuels

A core group of seven major airlines have signed letters of intent to purchase a future supply of jet fuel derived exclusively from biomass to be produced in northern California, according to the the Air Transportation Association.

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Solena Fuels' "GreenSky California" biomass-to-liquids (BTL) facility in Northern California (Santa Clara County) will utilize post-recycled urban and agricultural wastes to produce up to 16 million gallons of neat jet fuel (as well as 14 million gallon equivalents of other energy products) per year by 2015 to support airline operations at Oakland (OAK), San Francisco (SFO) and/or San Jose (SJC). The project will divert approximately 550,000 metric tons of waste that otherwise would go to a landfill while producing jet fuel with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and local pollutants than petroleum-based fuels.

"Today's (Monday's) announcement reinforces the ongoing steps that ATA member airlines are taking to stimulate competition in jet fuel production, contribute to the creation of green jobs, and promote energy security through economically viable alternatives that also demonstrate global and local environmental benefits," said ATA President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "It is through the leadership and commitment of ATA member airlines and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI) that we are able to bring this groundbreaking alternative aviation fuels project in California to fruition."

American Airlines and United Continental Holdings led the development of the agreement with Solena and were joined by five additional ATA member airlines – Alaska Airlines, FedEx, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines and US Airways – and ATA associate member Air Canada in signing the letters of intent, as well as Frontier Airlines and Lufthansa German Airlines. ATA is a co-founding and co-leading member of CAAFI, which is dedicated to the development and deployment of commercially viable, environmentally friendly alternative aviation fuels.

Solena Fuels is a platform company developing facilities worldwide to produce sustainable aviation and marine fuels from biomass.

FMI: www.airlines.org, www.solenafuels.com