Colombian Government, Alder Fuels Sign Sustainable Aviation Fuel MOU

Colombian President Ivan Duque announced a partnership during COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference, under which Colombia will tap into its agricultural infrastructure and incentivize local farmers to supply biomass feedstock for conversion into sustainable low-carbon crude oil.  Alder Fuels will then use its refining process to convert forestry and crop residue, as well as regenerative agricultural crops into drop-in replacement “green” crude used for producing aviation fuel.

“Colombia is committed with the importance of tackling climate change. Therefore, our Ministry of Agriculture and Alder Fuels, LLC signed an MOU during the world´s most important Climate Change conference, COP26. This MOU has the objective to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel – SAF from biomass farming in the country by guaranteeing small farmers, the product commercialization through ‘Agricultura por Contrato’ (Contract Farming). It will also promote public–private alliances that attract investment to the country and will contribute with Colombia´s objective of reducing 51 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2050 as well as helping the aviation industry reach carbon neutrality goals which will not only have an impact in Colombia but in the world,” said Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez

“The leadership from President Duque and Minister Navarro demonstrates how nations can develop innovative approaches to concurrently address global carbon reduction goals, support local economies and improve quality of life at home and abroad,” said Bryan Sherbacow, CEO of Alder Fuels. “The Alder-Colombia partnership is a model for advancing agricultural practices and scaling technology that will one day decarbonize aviation.”

In September, United Airlines and Honeywell announced a multimillion-dollar joint venture with Alder Fuels, wherein both companies would invest in Alder Fuels and Alder would provide United Airlines 1.5 billion gallons of SAF, the largest SAF purchase ever announced at the time. Alder Fuels’ technology will increase the volume of SAF produced and the type of renewable feedstocks that can be converted into carbon-negative SAF to reduce fossil jet fuel consumption and benefit the flying public.