Seattle, Washington

RMI, SeaTac and SkyNRG partner on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Although eliminated from the Kyoto and Paris Climate Accords, the aviation sector is one of the fastest growing sources of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Currently at 800 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, the global aviation industry is currently cited as responsible for 4.9% of anthropogenic global warming.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are advanced aviation biofuel types used in jet aircraft and certified as being sustainable by a reputable independent third-party, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB).

In order to facilitate carbon emissions reduction in the aviation sector, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) is engaging airports to aggregate demand of SAF through an innovative business model that minimizes disruption of existing systems while maximizing adoption of the cleaner fuel. They are working to help 10 percent of the North American and European commercial aviation and jet fuel market switch to sustainable aviation fuel by 2025.

For example, through a partnership with the Port of Seattle and SkyNRG (the global market leader for sustainable aviation fuel), RMI helped make Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) the world’s first airport to proactively explore long-term self-financing for sustainable aviation fuels. Catalyzing large-scale uptake of SAF can contribute to the Port’s Century Agenda Goals to reduce carbon emissions and will contribute to the development of clean energy jobs in the state of Washington. Blending SAF into the Sea-Tac jet fuel supply, at a 1 percent level, would reduce CO2 by approximately 23,300–31,000 metric tons annually on a life-cycle basis.

Through their work in Sustainable Aviation, RMI aims to help 10% of the North American and European commercial aviation and jet fuel market switch to sustainable aviation fuel by 2025.

ABOUT ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)—an independent nonprofit founded in 1982—transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. In 2014, Carbon War Room (CWR) merged with and now operates as part of RMI. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.