Virgin Australia, Brisbane Airport Corporation and the global market maker in sustainable jet fuel, SkyNRG, announced a feasibility study into the creation of Australia’s first “bio-port” at Brisbane Airport.
The three parties have entered a memorandum of understanding which will see them work together towards the goal of enabling aircrafts to be fuelled with bio-jet fuel at Brisbane Airport.
The feasibility study will take 12 months to complete, and will involve researching the locally available feedstocks, sustainable and cost-effective methods of transport and the most appropriate technology for converting them into biofuel.
Virgin Australia CEO Sean Donohue said the company was committed to meeting renewable energy targets.
“Virgin Australia is committed to developing a local sustainable supply of biofuel for use in our aircraft and we have set ourselves the target of 5% renewable fuel use from 2020.
“South-East Queensland is an ideal base for this project because it is one of our largest hubs and hosts many potential sustainably harvested feedstocks for biofuel, including woody weeds, crop residues and bagasse.
Dirk Kronemeijer, managing director of SkyNRG said touted Australia as the best nation to develop the fuel technology.
“We strongly believe in Australia as potentially one of the best places in the world for developing sustainable jet fuels. We are therefore very pleased that our first announced bio-port outside Europe is going to be in Australia. We will do whatever it takes to turn this into a success by developing a local supply chain for sustainable jet fuel that is one day scalable and affordable.”
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman welcomed the announcement and supported Virgin Australia’s vision of using biofuel for its fleet.
“Today’s announcement is another vote of confidence in Queensland’s aviation and agricultural industries,” Newman said.
“Queensland is a state that supports innovation and we congratulate Virgin Australia on undertaking this research to deliver a greener fuel source for commercial aviation.”
Image: SMH.com