Industrial giant Honeywell will implement its technology at a Texas plant that plans to convert wood waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for Southwest Airlines Co., the company said today.
Under the agreement, USA BioEnergy (USABE) will use Honeywell’s Experion PKS Distributed Control System (DCS) and safety system at USABE’s new Texas Renewable Fuels Bon Wier advanced biorefinery.
Located in Bon Wier, Texas—located near the city of Beaumont on the Texas-Louisiana line—the planned $2.8 billion greenfield facility aims to address airlines’ growing demand for SAF by converting sustainably sourced forest thinnings into SAF. In advance of the facility’s opening, USA BioEnergy recently signed a 20-year offtake agreement with Southwest Airlines Co. under which Southwest may purchase up to 680 million gallons of neat – or unblended – SAF. Once blended with conventional jet fuel, the SAF could produce the equivalent of 2.59 billion gallons of net-zero fuel and avoid 30 million metric tons of CO2 over the offtake agreement term.
In support of that plan, Honeywell said its Experion PKS will support the plant’s central control and safety operations by enabling real-time data acquisition, monitoring, and control capabilities. That approach will enhance operational efficiency and help USA BioEnergy achieve its production targets with minimal downtime, ultimately leading to reduced airline emissions and more sustainable commercial flight.
In addition, Honeywell will also implement its Experion Industrial Security system to bolster the facility’s integrated telecommunications infrastructure, safeguarding the plant’s critical assets and ensuring secure and reliable communications across the entire facility, mitigating potential cyber threats and enhancing overall operational resilience.
