Last week, the New York area received its first shipment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) via pipeline. The Neste fuel, a blend of pure SAF and conventional jet-A destined to power a Delta Air Lines flight, underwent final processing at a Texas refinery. It was loaded into the Colonial Pipeline and traveled nearly 1,500 miles through 11 states before entering the Buckeye system for delivery to New York LaGuardia Airport, a journey that took approximately two weeks given the speed at which fuel travels through the pipeline. The delivery demonstrates the viability of the fuel and its ability to be transported anywhere there is an existing pipeline carrying jet-A.
The delivery and flight are supported by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which was the first U.S. transport agency to embrace the Paris Climate Agreement and is working to accelerate the adoption of sustainable fuels. SAF in its neat form can provide up to 80 percent lifecycle carbon reduction over conventional fuel. While currently approved for use in blends of up to 50 percent, tests are ongoing for the eventual use of 100 percent SAF.
“The U.S. East Coast is home to some of the USA’s busiest airports, and the vast majority of them get their fuel via the Colonial Pipeline system, and in New York, the Buckeye Pipeline system,” said Chris Cooper, Neste’s v-p of renewable fuels for the Americas. “What we’re doing here is showing that just around the corner is a future where passengers at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson up to LaGuardia, JFK, and EWR can board a plane flying on SAF.”