Montreal group achieves low carbon Avgas
Montreal-based SAF+ Consortium (SAF +) has announced its first production of sustainable aviation fuel PtL (Power to Liquids) in North America. This event took place in the SAF+ pilot factory, located at the ParaChem industrial site, east of Montreal. The group reports they plan to introduce their synthetic kerosene aviation fuel to market by 2025-2026. The consortium’s fuel is projected to offer an 80% reduction in carbon footprint over traditional Avgas.
SAF+ Consortium is a Quebec company specialized in the development of clean fuels produced by using the capture of CO2 emissions from industrial sources. It brings together leading players spanning the entire aviation value chain to provide Canadians with a sustainable business solution for low-carbon flights.
"These first litres of e-fuel represent a historic moment and an important milestone for SAF+," said Jean Paquin, president and CEO of the SAF+ Consortium. "As the airline industry aims to reduce its carbon footprint and reduce kerosene consumption, SAF + stands out as a pioneer in the field of sustainable aviation fuel in Canada. For us, e-fuel is the way to go in the aviation industry if we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially."
According to Steven Le Moing, head of the New Energies program at Airbus, a key partner in the consortium, “Airbus is fully committed to the decarbonization of air transport and believes that Sustainable Aviation Fuels (“SAF”) have the potential to become a major driver in reducing CO2 emissions in commercial aviation – for existing fleets and future. The SAF is a ready-to-use solution for the airline industry today. Our planes are already capable of integrating a mixture of up to 50% of SAF. Our goal is to achieve 100% compatibility by 2030, knowing that these SAFs can today reduce emissions by 80% of CO2 (over the life cycle) and be close in the future to 100% with e-fuels produced with green hydrogen and carbon capture."
Suzanne Benoît, president and CEO of SAF+ partner Aéro Montréal, stated, "These first steps allow us to position Quebec as one of the leaders in a green and sustainable recovery. By capturing the CO2 that would have been released into the atmosphere to give it a second use, we confirm the ecosystem’s desire to be bold and creative to accelerate our transition to a more sustainable aerospace industry."