Inaugurated on Sept. 9, 2021, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge is the result of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other federal government agencies working together to develop a comprehensive strategy for scaling up new technologies to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) on a commercial scale.
The SAF Grand Challenge will guide federal actions to support industry to reduce the cost, enhance the sustainability, and expand the production and use of SAF to meet the following goals:
- A minimum of a 50% reduction in life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional fuel.
- 3 billion gallons per year of domestic SAF production by 2030.
- At least 35 billion gallons per year of domestic SAF production to satisfy 100% of domestic demand by 2050.
SAF Grand Challenge Partners
Successful implementation of the SAF Grand Challenge will require close collaboration of agencies across the federal government—particularly DOE, USDA, DOT and its Federal Aviation Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Working within the structure of the interagency Biomass Research and Development Board, an interagency working group on SAF has been established to enable coordination with representatives of a broader set of government agencies.
- U.S. Department of Energy: DOE is researching and developing sustainable fuel production technology, providing support for technology scale-up and advancing environmental analysis of SAF. Learn more about DOE’s SAF R&D.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: USDA is developing feedstock supply chain systems suitable for SAF and supporting commercialization. Learn more about USDA’s role in SAF research.
- U.S. Department of Transportation: DOT has capabilities in fuel qualification, U.S. and international standard-setting, supply chain analysis, and stakeholder outreach. Learn more about DOT’s SAF capabilities.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: EPA is working directly with all three agencies on existing regulations that can support SAF production. Learn more about EPA regulatory approvals for SAF under the Renewable Fuel Standard program.