“This significant investment in SAF production demonstrates our commitment to scaling sustainable aviation fuel and to our work in Canada,” said Al Meinzinger, President, Boeing Canada. “With 2,000 employees across Canada, Boeing is committed to supporting Canada’s aerospace industry and domestic productivity and advancing exciting new energy innovations.”
Project Avance is forecasted to enable future projects in Quebec to produce 10 million gallons of unblended SAF annually. Partner US-based Alder Renewables has developed a proprietary production process called ARC (Alder Renewable Crude) that can convert through fast pyrolysis a range of non-food biomass sources – including sustainable woody residues, agricultural byproducts and net-generation energy crops – to renewable crude for onward conversion into renewable products like SAF, low-carbon marine and transport fuels, and bio-based chemicals.
“Project Avance represents a pivotal moment in sustainable aviation,” said Darren Fuller, Chief Commercial Officer, Alder Renewables. “Our technology creates a novel viable pathway to help aviation meet its ambitious decarbonisation goals, maximises optionality for our refiners and supports job growth in regional Quebec communities.”
The company says its ARC production pathway acts a stable, sustainable and refinery compatible replacement, and is commercially and technologically scalable using existing infrastructure.
Project Avance, which was announced in May, will deploy Alder’s technology to convert bio-oil currently produced at the Port-Cartier Bioénergie AECN plant, which is a joint venture between sawmill operator Arbec Forest Products and integrated forestry operations company Group Rémabec. The project will demonstrate the entire pathway from certified sustainable forest residuals into low-carbon Alder Renewable Crude, which will then be refined into SAF and other low carbon transportation fuels. Production is expected to begin in 2027.
“The technology that we will utilise with Alder Renewables has the potential for full commercial deployment across Quebec’s forest regions, creating new revenue streams for a legacy industry and helping to decarbonise aviation, one of the hardest-to-abate sectors,” said Serge Mercier, President of Bioénergie AECN.
The partners say the project is expected to become an innovation hub for SAF development, offering testing and certification capabilities for other renewable fuel technologies and establishing Quebec as a leader in sustainable aviation solutions.
The project team is currently working to secure additional support from both the Canadian federal and Quebec provincial governments.
Commenting on the investment from Boeing, Jason Salfi, CEO of British Columbia headquartered Dimensional Energy, said: “With this funding, our engineering team in Houston, Texas, is already underway with front-end engineering and design to support commercial SAF production using our proprietary Fischer-Tropsch and Reverse-Water-Gas-Shift process technologies. This essential pre-development capital will catalyse projects and scale our proven power-to-liquid technology to market now.”
The company claims its platform yields low carbon intensity, low energy requirements per barrel installed and “best carbon efficiency for a power-to-liquids facility”.
Dimensional is considering the feasibility of scaling its current demonstration plant in Richmond, British Columbia, to commercial-scale production. Its technology is based on a standardised reactor design and a plant configuration that aims to transform an annual supply of 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into over 3,000 barrels per day (40 million gallons annually) of SAF, which can be adjusted in volume or offtake selection depending on specific project siting, feedstock and product demand parameters.
“Over the next year of the project, our team will progressively optimise the plant design through the front-end loading lifecycle, delivering a series of engineering design milestones including standard project cost estimation, risk assessment and execution planning,” reported Salfi.
“Work on initial phases is nearly complete and the team is now drafting a collaborative scope of work for an engineering, procurement and construction contractor to support process optimisation and finalise standardised plant design.”
Canada’s Aviation Action Plan calls for one billion litres of SAF by 2030. “The government of Canada is committed to reducing aviation emissions and reinforcing Canada’s position as a global leader in aerospace innovation,” commented Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.
“Boeing’s investments in Quebec and British Columbia highlight Canada’s position as a strategic partner of choice in sustainable aviation and will generate high-value jobs and economic growth.”
The government announced its decision to acquire 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft in 2023 as part of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project.
