Delta Air Lines Announces New SAF Deal With Chevron, Google

Delta Air Lines announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Google to track sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) test batch emissions data using cloud-based technology.

The airline and its partner companies hope to create a more transparent model for analyzing potential greenhouse gas emissions reductions that could then be adopted by organizations considering SAF programs.

Through the agreement, Chevron plans to produce a test batch of SAF at its El Segundo Refinery and sell the product to Delta at Los Angeles International Airport, a major global hub for the carrier’s fleet.

“As aviation continues to define a more sustainable future, understanding the environmental impacts of our operations will be paramount as we look to mitigate climate change,” Delta’s managing director Amelia DeLuca said.

“On top of being the first carbon neutral airline on a global basis, we’ve pledged to replace 10 percent of our jet fuel with SAF by 2030,” DeLuca continued. “This partnership has the potential to help us achieve that goal while providing important data and analytics that demonstrate the environmental integrity of our commitment.”

To support the new memorandum of understanding, Google Cloud announced plans to build a data and analytics framework to securely ingest and analyze emissions data from Delta and Chevron related to the SAF test batch.

“Google Cloud has a history of pioneering emissions reduction technologies and we’re looking forward to exploring the use of data and analytics capabilities to advance renewable fuel understanding and adoption,” Google Cloud director Larry Cochrane said.

The goal of the pilot program will be to provide better visibility into data from their project, allowing for greater transparency and improved reporting of SAF emissions. SAF is produced from biofeedstocks that can reduce lifecycle carbon intensity significantly when compared to conventional jet fuel.