ABB Partners with Cap Clean for SAF Production in Canada

Electrification and automation technology firm ABB is collaborating with Cap Clean Energy on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production sites in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two companies, ABB will explore how its automation, electrification and digital technology can optimize biofuel facilities, it said in a news release Thursday.

Once operational, Cap Clean Energy’s facilities will produce “ultra-low carbon SAF from non-combustion conversion of cereal crop by-product feedstocks that do not compete with food”, according to the release. The sites will also incorporate carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce CO2 emissions.

“We are proud to collaborate with Cap Clean Energy and realize our joint vision of driving scale on sustainable fuels as part of the energy transition”, ABB Energy Industries President Brandon Spencer said. “The potential for SAF has never been greater, and this agreement demonstrates our commitment to supporting a low-carbon future with innovative clean technology”.

According to the release, Cap Clean Energy’s biofuel facilities will be designed as modular systems capable of rapid production scale-up. The concept can then be applied as part of a wider, long-term rollout across a network of integrated and connected bio-refineries.

“We are delighted to collaborate with ABB, which has a long history of delivering integrated automation, electrical and digital technology that drives operational efficiency”, Cap Clean CEO Steve Polvi said. “Together, we will work on enabling the production and delivery of SAF and RD into strategic North American markets, supporting society with more sustainable energy and allowing the aviation industry to achieve its net zero goals”.

ABB said that a “substantial increase” in production will be needed to create the blend of 65 percent aviation fuel required to meet demand for the aviation industry to achieve net zero targets by 2050, citing the International Air Transport Association. SAF volumes reached over 600 million liters in 2023, which is double the amount produced in 2022, and volumes are expected to triple this year.

Boeing Co. in February said that oil majors were doing too little to produce SAF. Currently, SAF accounts for less than 0.1 percent of all aviation fuels consumed, so to increase its use to 10 percent by 2030, in line with the Net Zero Emissions Scenario, investment in capacity needs to be ramped up alongside supportive policies.

Aviation’s transition to net zero will require an investment of as much as $5 trillion through 2050, much of it needed to increase sustainable fuel production, according to the International Air Transport Association as cited in an earlier report.

ABB describes itself as a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future.

Cap Clean Energy, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, develops biofuel facilities that upcycle biomass into value-added drop-in renewable liquid fuels. Cap Clean deploys novel development concepts and proven technologies to commercially produce non-food sourced sustainable biofuels that reduce the carbon impact of aviation by more than 90 percent, or greater than 100 percent with carbon capture, compared to traditional fossil fuels.

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