DG Fuels lets contract for Louisiana SAF complex

DG Fuels LLC, Washington, DC, has let a contract to a subsidiary of Maire SPA’s Rome-based NextChem SPA to deliver technology licensing for the operator’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production complex under development along the west bank of the Mississippi River, near Moonshine, La., in St. James Parish (OGJ Online, Mar. 24, 2023).

Under the June 24 contract, the waste-to-chemical segment of NextChem’s MyRechemical SRL will license its proprietary NX Circular technology for the proposed complex’s gasification and gas treatment units that, together, will be able to process 1 million tonnes/year (tpy) of locally sourced bagasse—the matted, cellulose-fiber residue byproduct of post-processed sugarcane stalks—as well as other sugarcane waste and pulp material into suitable feedstock as a first step in the site’s SAF manufacturing process, Maire said.

Alongside technology licensing, Maire confirmed MyRechemical’s scope of delivery under the contract also covers associated technical services, as well as supply of proprietary equipment for the gasification package, including an option for applying a modular approach to minimize site contingencies.

While Maire did not reveal a value of the order, the service provider said this latest contract award follows MyRechemical’s recent completion of the process design package for the project’s gasification and gas treatment units (OGJ Online, Dec. 7, 2023).

Estimated at an overall investment of $3.8-4.8 billion, the Louisiana project is slated for startup in 2028 with capacity to produce 600,000 tpy (about 13,000 b/d) of SAF that can be directly used in lieu of conventional jet fuel to reduce commercial-flight carbon dioxide emissions by up to 100% (OGJ Online, May 14, 2024).