Washington Lands Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production Facility
30 Million Gallons Of SAF To Be Produced Locally
Just a few weeks after Gov. Jay Inslee signed a slew of business-friendly clean energy bills, Dutch fuel producer SkyNRG agreed to invest up to $800 million for a new production facility for sustainable jet fuel in Washington.
At a recent airlines sustainability conference put on by Boeing, SkyNRG CEO Philippe Lacamp told the Seattle Times that the company expected to have a new plant ready to go as early as 2028 to produce as much as 30 million gallons of sustainable jet fuel a year.
That translates into nearly 267,000 fewer metric tons of CO2 emissions a year or what roughly 60,000 passenger cars and trucks produce annually.
Washington Laws Friendly To Sustainable Fuels
It was the state's adoption of legislation promoting SAF and clean energy that encouraged the SkyNRG to pick Washington as home for its new plant. Lacamp declared the state as the nation's "most attractive, most supportive" for sustainable aviation, according to the Seattle Times.
SB 5447, sponsored and authored by state Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig, provides incentives up to $2 a gallon for SAF. In a statement, Billig called it "rewarding to see his plan pay dividends for the state so quickly." The other bill, HB 1216, speeds the permitting and environmental review processes for clean energy construction.
New Sustainable Jet Fuel Plant To Bring 700 New Jobs To State
Aside from the positive environmental benefits for Washington and beyond, the proposed plant will add at least 700 jobs to the state's economy—600 temporary construction jobs to build the facility and 100 permanent positions to run it.
Meanwhile, in the nation's capital, Washington U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a big SAF supporter in Congress, raved about the news. "Investing in sustainable aviation technologies is critical to maintaining aviation sector growth and high-wage jobs while meeting our emission reduction goals."
State's Senate Delegation In Powerful Positions To Lobby For SAF At Federal Level
Washington's junior senator has worked on many legislative efforts to spur SAF manufacturing, including securing $297 million for the Fueling Aviation's Sustainable Transition (FAST) program, which is part of the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this year.
As chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Cantwell will be leading the charge this year to craft the Federal Aviation Administration's reauthorization bill, including provisions to encourage the adoption of low-emission aviation technology for cleaner air transportation.
Washington senior Sen. Patty Murray, as head of the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations, will play a pivotal role in appropriating the funds needed to run those FAA programs.
Back in 2021, Cantwell and Murray, among others, teamed up to introduce legislation known as the Sustainable Skies Act, which provides a tax credit similar to the Billig plan but at the federal level.
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