- Wagner plans Australia’s first integrated SAF production facility in Brisbane, set to start construction in 2026 with $760,000 in Queensland government funding.
- The facility will use LanzaJet’s ATJ technology to produce 102 million litres of ethanol-based SAF annually, integrating seamlessly with airline infrastructure.
- Queensland aims to become a green jet fuel hub, with the new facility expected to support Australia’s growing low-carbon fuels industry and meet future jet fuel demands.
Wagner, the owner of Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, plans to build Australia’s first fully integrated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in Brisbane. In partnership with Boeing, the project has secured $760,000 in funding from the Queensland government. The construction will begin in 2026.
The new facility will use LanzaJet’s Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology to produce ethanol-based SAF. It aims to generate 102 million litres of SAF annually. Wagner asserts that the SAF will integrate seamlessly with existing airline infrastructure and meet high fuel standards. The company also works with Boeing on a SAF blending facility at Toowoomba Wellcamp.
Wagner Sustainable Fuels CEO Matt Doyle emphasised the importance of SAF in reducing aviation emissions. “Aviation consumes billions of litres of fossil jet fuel each year, contributing about 2.1 per cent of global CO2 emissions,” Doyle said. “In Australia, jet fuel demand will rise 75 per cent over the next 25 years. Australia can scale up renewable fuels and build a domestic low-carbon industry.”
Queensland Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace highlighted the project’s benefits. “We’re on track to make Queensland a green jet fuel hub for the Asia-Pacific region,” Grace said. “The Queensland government is committed to leading the sustainable aviation fuel industry and looks forward to advancing this important opportunity with Wagner.”
The 2023 Boeing/CSIRO SAF Roadmap identifies Australia as well-positioned to develop a domestic SAF industry. However, it notes that challenges such as feedstock availability and supply chain issues must be addressed. CSIRO senior manager Max Temminghoff stated that Australia could produce nearly 5 billion litres of SAF by 2025, meeting 60% of that year’s projected jet fuel demand.
SAF production will use agricultural waste, sugarcane, sawmill residues, and municipal solid waste. Processes such as Alcohol-to-Jet and Fischer-Tropsch will apply, with CSIRO’s Perth lab currently researching the latter.
In addition to Wagner’s project, Qantas collaborates with Airbus on the “Project Ulysses” SAF plant in northern Queensland. Qantas has also called for a SAF blending mandate similar to those in the UK, US, Europe, and Japan.
This new SAF production facility significantly advances Australia’s renewable energy efforts. It aims to reduce carbon emissions and foster a domestic low-carbon fuels industry.