Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran and Tourism Minister Peeni Henare. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran and Tourism Minister Peeni Henare. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand and the Ministry of Tourism have announced a more than $2 million investment into the next phase of studies to examine the feasibility of producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The announcement came today at the launch of the draft Tourism Environment Action Plan, which was hosted by Air NZ at their central Auckland offices and saw attendance from the Minister of Tourism, Hon Peeni Henare.
It includes a commitment of $1.5 million from Air NZ and $765,000 from the government, which will fund an evaluation of the feasibility of establishing and operating a SAF production facility in New Zealand. The evaluation will look to consider technical, economic, supply chain and environmental aspects.
SAF are biofuels made for use in aircraft, derived from biomass materials (or biomass feedstocks), such as plants or waste.
Hon Peeni Henare noted that producing sustainable aviation fuel would be “game-changing” for tourism in Aotearoa.
”Sustainable aviation fuel currently represents the most viable option for reducing carbon emissions from aviation,” he said. “Investment in low-carbon technologies is a key action under the draft action plan and these studies could get us one step closer to a net-zero carbon tourism sector.”
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran, Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin, Air New Zealand Board Director Laurissa Cooney with Tourism Minister Peeni Henare. Photo / Supplied
The investment comes after a year-long request for proposal (RFP) process, which invited respondents to demonstrate the viability of operating a SAF plant at a commercial scale in New Zealand. The airline worked with the government to consider the proposals, submitted by multiple international producers, in the first phase of the SAF consideration process.
In the second phase, as announced today, Air NZ will move forward with two proposals: one with LanzaTech and LanzaJet, the former of which is a Chicago-based startup, which received a US$50 million grant from the Bill Gates-led Breakthrough Energy, and one with Fulcrum BioEnergy, which is also US-based.
LanzaTech and LanzaJet will partner with Z Energy, investigating the potential for using forestry residues and landfill waste as a feedstock, while FulcrumBiology will partner with AirBP to consider the use of unrecyclables and other landfill materials.
Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability Officer Kiri Hannifin, says “Our climate is worsening at a rate far faster than predicted. We all need to take immediate and drastic action to protect what we love, including our land, and all that depends on her.
“So much of what we rely on in Aotearoa is based on our magnificent natural assets including tourism and food production. Air New Zealand has a significant role to play in transitioning our economy to a lower carbon future and flying with SAF is a key part of this transition.
“Globally, SAF is in very high demand but limited supply. Commercially producing SAF in New Zealand would not only help lower the country’s emissions while creating jobs, regional economic development, and Māori and Iwi investment opportunities, but also provide energy security and energy independence which is something New Zealand doesn’t have.”
