Truckee Tahoe Airport in US now uses 100% SAF

All flights at Truckee Tahoe Airport in California now utilise sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Moreover, Truckee Tahoe Airport has become the first in the world to fully transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

US airport converts to SAF fuel. Image: Pixabay
Truckee Tahoe Airport converts to SAF fuel. Image: Pixabay

TRUCKEE TAHOE AIRPORT

Located just north of Lake Tahoe in California, Truckee Tahoe Airport is a small airport serving a district of around 50,000 residents.

As a general aviation airport, it handles approximately 35,000 aircraft operations annually.

Regardless of size, this airport is leading the way in the adoption of low-carbon fuels.

TRUCKEE TAHOE’S SAF JOURNEY

The airport began its SAF journey by offering a 10% SAF blend alongside conventional jet fuel, with the aim of 100% SAF in the future. 

The SAF currently in use at Truckee is a blended product consisting of 30% neat (unblended) SAF and 70% conventional jet fuel.

SAF PRODUCER: NESTE

The airport sources its neat SAF from Neste, one of the world’s leading SAF producers.

Neste manufactures SAF at refineries in Singapore and Texas. The SAF is then shipped to a bulk terminal in California’s Bay Area.

A company called Newstar Energy blends neat SAF with conventional jet fuel to create the final product.

Then, the blended SAF is delivered to Truckee Airport every week. 

CARBON EMISSIONS

The 30/70 SAF blend delivers a significant carbon benefit, reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 23% compared to flights using regular jet fuel. 

By switching its entire fuel volume to 30% SAF, the airport prevents an estimated 1 million kilograms of CO2 emissions each year.

PRICE OF SAF AT TRUCKEE TAHOE

According to Sustainability in the Air, making the transition to 100% SAF meant price increases of around 20% above regular jet fuel costs at the airport. 

Robb Etnyre, General Manager at Truckee Tahoe Airport says there was resistance from some price-sensitive customers. These were mainly locally based small operators.

However, due to rising jet fuel prices in California, Truckee’s SAF blend is now priced competitively at $8 per gallon. This is even lower than the price of jet fuel at nearby airports.

Etnyre considers that as SAF has reached price parity with conventional fuel as a groundbreaking moment.

He believes that the costs of low-carbon fuels are rapidly improving as production and availability increase.

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