Jet Zero Australia – FEED Study for Project Ulysses ATJ SAF Plant

Summary

Need

ATJ is the next most viable Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production pathway after the commercialised hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) pathway. ATJ is advantageous because ethanol feedstocks are considered less constrained than HEFA pathway feedstocks (e.g. used cooking oil, tallow and oil-seed crops). ATJ is expected to play an important role in diversifying the production of SAF whilst offsetting the pressure on competition for HEFA feedstocks and represents a scalable opportunity.

Jet Zero Australia will undertake a FEED study to improve the design definition to enable a Class II (+20% / -15%) cost estimate and progress key commercial relationships and agreements for Project Ulysses.

Action

Commercial operation of the production facility is expected to commence in late 2027 which will be capable of producing 113 ML p.a. of low carbon liquid fuels, 90% of which will be SAF with the balance being renewable diesel (RD). This facility will leverage LanzaJet’s conversion technology to convert 183 ML p.a. of agricultural byproduct-based ethanol feedstock into SAF and RD.

Knowledge sharing reports will include details on feedstock certification, book and claim framework, lifecycle analysis, insights from LanzaJet’s Freedom Pines facility and key findings from the FEED study that will inform the FID process.

Outcome

The project seeks to achieve the following Outcomes:

1. Advance the technical and commercial readiness of SAF technologies by showcasing the viability of the ATJ production pathway for domestic SAF production.
2. Highlighting the opportunity for LCLF production including SAF in Australia.
3. Increased knowledge on potential pathways and certification processes for feedstock across domestic and international methodologies.
4. Build industry capacity by assessing the potential of a book and claim system.

Additional impact

The future deployment of Project Ulysses will directly deliver 1,000 construction jobs and 100 operational jobs to the Townsville regional economy.

At completion, Jet Zero’s Project Ulysses will:

• Reduce jet aircraft CO2 emissions by over 70% versus the equivalent fossil fuel
• Produce one-sixth of the domestic airline industry’s entire 2030 SAF commitment
• Expand local industrial demand for the emerging Townsville renewable energy hub