Aemetis, Inc., a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, announced that an offtake agreement has been signed with Qantas Group and Qantas Airlines for 35 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel to be delivered over the 7-year term of the agreement. The value of the contract including incentives is approximately $250 million.
Sustainable aviation fuel provides significant environmental benefits compared to petroleum jet fuel, including a lower lifecycle carbon footprint and reduced contrails. The blended sustainable aviation fuel to be supplied under this agreement is 40% SAF and 60% Petroleum Jet A to meet international blending standards.
This supply agreement with Aemetis builds on Qantas’s expanding effort for a future of net zero emissions by 2050.
“Climate change is front of mind for Qantas, our customers, employees and investors, and it is a key focus for us as we move through our recovery from the pandemic,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said. “Operating our aircraft with sustainable aviation fuel is the single biggest thing we can do to directly reduce our emissions.”
The sustainable aviation fuel is expected to be produced by the Aemetis renewable jet/diesel plant under development on a 125-acre former U.S. Army Ammunition production plant site in Riverbank, California. The blended sustainable aviation fuel is scheduled to begin deliveries to Qantas in 2025.
“The use of sustainable aviation fuel by Qantas is another step toward lowering the environmental impact of aviation,” stated Eric McAfee, chairman and CEO of Aemetis. “Our supply of SAF to the San Francisco International Airport is supported by the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard, creating new investment and jobs in disadvantaged minority communities in the state.”
Powered by 100% renewable electricity, the Aemetis Carbon Zero production plant at the Riverbank plant site is designed to sequester CO2 from the production process using injection wells, significantly reducing the carbon intensity of the renewable fuel.
