SEATTLE, April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines
and SkyNRG Americas today announced the signing of a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) committing to increased investment in
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The MOU builds on a long history
of Alaska leadership advancing SAF
and partners the airline with the global SAF pioneers at SkyNRG
Americas.
"This is a critical next step in our long-term plan to reduce
carbon emissions and our impact on the planet," said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska Airlines' vice
president of public affairs and sustainability. "We have been
working for more than a decade to advance SAF technology and
viability, and we're excited to partner with SkyNRG's experienced
team to advance truly sustainable production of SAF, develop supply
in the Pacific Northwest, and engage partners for a commercially
viable and scalable future for sustainable fuels."
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Alaska Airlines for the
production of sustainable fuels," said John
Plaza, CEO of SkyNRG Americas. "Alaska Airlines is already
one of the most fuel-efficient airlines in the U.S., and an ideal
partner not only to support SAF demand but also to help drive
necessary policy changes that will encourage development of the SAF
industry across the Pacific Northwest and the nation as a
whole."
Under the MOU, SkyNRG Americas will initially focus on the
development of dedicated SAF production facilities to supply
Western U.S. airports. These facilities will use commercially
available technologies that enable the use of municipal solid waste
and other waste-based inputs as feedstocks, as well as
incorporating green hydrogen and renewable energy for minimizing
carbon intensity. Beyond the focus of building out SAF production
capacity, SkyNRG Americas and Alaska Airlines will continue to
build awareness and understanding of SAF technologies, and advocate
for public policies to accelerate the development of the SAF
industry and infrastructure.
This collaboration builds on the Alaska-Microsoft partnership
announced in October 2020, aiming to
use SAF to offset Microsoft employee travel between Seattle and San
Francisco, San Jose and Los
Angeles.
About Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Aviation is one of the most challenging industries to
decarbonize in the transportation sector. While there are exciting
opportunities for innovation in electric and hybrid
hydrogen-electric aircraft, especially for smaller and regional
aircraft, medium and long-haul air travel will continue to require
high-quality, low carbon liquid fuel supplies for many decades to
come.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a low carbon replacement for
fossil-based jet fuel that is certified to meet ASTM Standards for
jet fuel safety. It is approved for use globally as a drop-in fuel
with maximum blending levels of 50% with Jet A fuel. Alaska
Airlines has been an early adopter of SAF beginning in 2010 with
test flights and continuing use of regular SAF offtake at
San Francisco International
Airport today.
SAF can be produced using various renewable resources, but this
collaboration is focused on SAF made from municipal solid waste
(MSW) and other waste-based feedstock sources. With this strategy,
SkyNRG's SAF will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80%,
burn cleaner in jet engines, and reduce particulate matter by 90%.
There are significant volumes of MSW available throughout the U.S
that end up buried in landfills for decades. SkyNRG considers MSW
and the associated waste streams that result from landfilling
garbage as attractive feedstocks for the production of low carbon
SAF. Of critical importance for Alaska and SkyNRG will be the continued work
to maximize recycling and reduce waste streams before any
conversion of MSW to SAF occurs.
SkyNRG Americas has a strong commitment to best practices in
sustainability, including requiring all its production facilities
to follow comprehensive and rigorous sustainability standards, such
as the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB). SkyNRG
Americas will be consistently advised by experts from its
independent Sustainability Board and will have its operations and
projects certified by RSB.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and its regional
partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for
its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer
service and sustainability efforts. On March 31,
2021, Alaska became the 14th member
of oneworld. With the global alliance and Alaska
Airlines' additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000
destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming
miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn
more about Alaska at
newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and
Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
About SkyNRG Americas
SkyNRG Americas is an
industry-leading team of experts in the field of biofuels and
aviation innovation. SkyNRG has been a leader of the Sustainable
Aviation Fuel industry for the last 15+ years, with a collective
focus on strategies to pioneer the clean energy revolution and
transforms the aviation industry. SkyNRG takes a no-compromise
approach to sustainability. Replacing fossil jet fuels with SAF is
what SkyNRG aims for, guaranteeing social and environmental
sustainability throughout the supply chain. For more
information, visit https://skynrgamericas.com/about-us/.
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines