Aviation fuel plant plans power up for Townsville

Jet Zero and LanzaJet have sealed a licence and engineering agreement that sets the scene for a Townsville aviation fuel project expected to generate 1000 construction jobs and 100 refinery jobs. The agreement will progress the development of Project Ulysses, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project using LanzaJet’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology. "Today’s announcement of the first Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Refinery to be built in Australia - right here in Townsville - is another strong sign of confidence as globally leading companies turn their attention to North Queensland," Townsville Enterprise chief executive officer Claudia Brumme-Smith said. Townsville Enterprise chief executive officer Claudia Brumme-Smith. "Partnerships amongst JetZero, Lanza Jet, Airbus and Qantas will cement the way forward for the plant to be constructed in 2026, formally positioning Townsville as Australia’s leading green manufacturing hub." Project Ulysses promises to convert agricultural by-products sourced from sustainable origins into 102 million litres of SAF annually. The project partners say that’s the equivalent amount of SAF production which, on a maximum blend, could meet the annual jet fuel demands for Cairns and Townsville airports. LanzaJet, a pioneering sustainable fuels technology company, recently held the grand opening of the world’s first ethanol to SAF plant – based in the United States, which will serve as a blueprint for Project Ulysses. Premier Steven Miles said Queensland was perfectly primed to service the SAF industry. "North Queensland is in a unique position to provide feedstock for this project, while also being close to the industry partners that are already investing in our state," he said. “This is another big step towards 1,000 construction jobs and 100 refinery jobs, bringing opportunities for agriculture, aviation, defence, and tourism. “Queensland's renewable energy advantage means we can protect and grow regional jobs in high-tech sectors like sustainable jet fuel." The Queensland Government provided $760,000 towards a project feasibility study for the plant. Qantas and Airbus are partnering with Jet Zero and LanzaJet in the project Airbus chief representative for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Stephen Forshaw said the challenge to start Australian SAF production was urgent. "If we don’t move soon, the opportunity to build a new fuels industry locally will disappear," he said. "However, we think Australia has every chance of becoming a sustainable fuels superpower, with the right support from government and industry. "This is why we’re so supportive of Jet Zero’s mission to become Australia’s first home-grown producer of SAF, and equally supportive of their partnership with LanzaJet, that will enable production here."

Aviation fuel plant plans power up for Townsville

Industry Queensland

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