Alaska Airlines, Hawai`i BioEnergy sign jet biofuels pact

Hawaiian Island-based consortium of landowners pioneering production of bio-based fuels

In Hawaii, Alaska Airlines and Hawai`i BioEnergy LLC announced today they have signed an agreement for the carrier to purchase sustainable biofuel for its aircraft. Founded in 2006, Hawai`i BioEnergy is a consortium of three of Hawaii’s largest landowners and three venture capital companies who plan to use locally grown feedstocks to produce biofuels.

Hawai`i BioEnergy will ramp up production of the sustainable fuels within five years of regulatory approval, allowing Alaska Airlines to begin procuring sustainable jet fuel for its Hawaii flights possibly as soon as fall 2018.

More about Hawaii BioEnergy

Hawai`i BioEnergy is a consortium established by three of Hawaii’s largest landowners: Kamehameha Schools, Grove Farm Company Inc., and Maui Land & Pineapple Inc., along with venture capital partnerships including Vinod Khosla, Ulupono Initiative and Finistere Ventures.
Alaska Airlines is Hawai`i BioEnergy’s second customer, and the first airline to sign a contract. Hawaiian Electric Co. previously announced it had agreed to purchase 10 million gallons of eucalyptus biodiesel a year from Hawai`i BioEnergy for power generation to the state, pending approval by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.

The feedstock for the biofuel is anticipated to be woody biomass-based and will be consistent with the sustainability criteria established by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels, an international multi-stakeholder initiative concerned with ensuring the sustainability of biomass production and processing.
Back in November 2011, Boeing and Hawai’i BioEnergy announced a MOU to work together to identify biofuel sources and supporting technologies for producing sustainable jet fuel in Hawaii.

At the time, Boeing and Hawai’i BioEnergy said they would look at various crops including sorghum and eucalyptus, as potential sources that can be grown locally and converted to jet fuel.

Reaction from the partners

“We are pleased to be partnering with Hawai`i BioEnergy to encourage the production and commercial distribution of sustainable fuels,” said Keith Loveless, Alaska Air Group’s executive vice president and general counsel. “Beyond the environmental advantages, it improves the fuel supply integrity in the state of Hawaii, which will allow for the further growth of our airline operations throughout the Islands.”

“Alaska Airlines shares our goals of environmental responsibility and our commitment to sustainable, local energy production,” said Joel Matsunaga, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hawai`i BioEnergy. “The development and commercialization of local, renewable energy is of critical importance to Hawaii, given the state imports 95 percent of its energy needs. Use of locally grown feedstocks for biofuel production will improve Hawaii’s energy sustainability and security while creating jobs in our communities.”

More on the story: The Top 10 Jet Biofuels advances of the year

Elsewhere in the Digest today, we look at Top 10 deals, tests, investments and grants with the likes of Amyris, Total, Airbus, Solena Fuels, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, AltAir Fuels, the US Navy, Emerald Biofuels, Natures BioReserve and Fulcrum Biofuels, Virent, the US Air Force, Chinese Eastern Airlines, Boeing, Frontline BioEnergy, Cobalt Technologies, Mercurius Biorefining, BioProcess Algae, KLM, SkyNRG, Neste Oil and British Airways.

Who’s doing what with whom? All about it right here.