World Fuel and DHL Express set to bring sustainable aviation fuel to MIA

World Fuel Services (World Fuel), a World Kinect (NYSE: WKC) company headquartered in Miami, Florida, and DHL Express, the world’s leading international express delivery provider, have entered into a new commercial agreement for the delivery of blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to Miami International Airport. This agreement marks one of the first regular deliveries of blended SAF into the State of Florida.

“I applaud World Fuel and DHL for making Miami-Dade County the gateway for sustainable jet fuel in the state of Florida and one of only five entry points in the country,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Thanks to this groundbreaking agreement, Miami International Airport will continue to pursue having some of the lowest carbon emissions of any U.S. airport, which is amazing news for our residents, visitors, and our local environment.”

Under the terms of the agreement, World Fuel will deliver approximately 60 million gallons of blended SAF over a two-year period, of which 18 million gallons will be neat SAF (equaling approximately 227 million liters of blended SAF containing 68 million liters of neat SAF). Valero Marketing and Supply Company, a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation, will provide the SAF.

“We proudly welcome this agreement between DHL and World Fuel that will bring the first-ever consistent supply of sustainable aviation fuel to Miami International Airport and the state of Florida,” said Ralph Cutié, MIA Director and CEO. “This announcement is especially rewarding because it follows MIA’s Airport Carbon Accreditation by Airports Council International in July because of our verified dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and our commitment to expanding our climate goals and reduction targets.”

The neat SAF purchased under the agreement will be produced from used cooking oil and food waste, certified by International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC), and have upon average at least 80% lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional jet fuel, which will be used to offer DHL Express customers emission-reduced air transportation services via DHL GoGreenPlus. Based on the “book and claim” approach, the SAF uplifted by DHL can be used by DHL’s GoGreenPlus customers globally to reduce their CO2e emissions. The reductions achieved (Scope 3) are passed on to customers in the form of certificates.

“We are proud to support DHL in providing a consistent supply of SAF to Florida,” said Brad Hurwitz, senior vice president, supply and trading, World Fuel. “This is particularly meaningful for all of us in the World Kinect family since our company has been headquartered in Miami for all its 40-year history. Our global footprint has expanded over the years to include offices throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, and while we have been actively working to increase the availability of lower-carbon fuels across the globe, bringing SAF to customers in our hometown makes it much more special.” 

The partnership between DHL and World Fuel marks another milestone in the journey towards more sustainable air freight and is aligned with DHL Group’s sustainability goals, which serve as further evidence of the demand for low-carbon fuels like SAF. It also demonstrates the drop-in applicability using existing jet fuel infrastructure and supply chains. The neat SAF, produced by Diamond Green Diesel LLC, a joint venture between Darling Ingredients, Inc. and an affiliate of Valero, will be blended by Valero with conventional jet fuel to create blended SAF and delivered by World Fuel.

“We are delighted to partner with World Fuel. Besides efficiency improvements, SAF is currently the most important way to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in air transport. GoGreenPlus is a service solution for our customers pursuing ambitious sustainability goals,” adds Travis Cobb, EVP Global Network Operations & Aviation, DHL Express. “The mechanism we employ for GoGreenPlus is called ‘book & claim’. Book & claim enables us to allocate the environmental benefits from SAF consumed in our network to paying customers, even when their shipments are not physically transported with the assets using these fuels.”

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