SAO PAULO, Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA),
Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) and the Sao Paulo State Research Foundation
(FAPESP) today announced plans to collaborate on long-term aviation
biofuels-related research and development, a move that represents
another major step toward the creation of a sustainable aviation
biofuels industry in Brazil. Azul,
GOL, TAM and Trip airlines will be strategic advisors in the
program.
As a result of an agreement signed today, Boeing, Embraer and
FAPESP are leading the development of a detailed report outlining
the unique opportunities and challenges of creating a
cost-effective, bio-derived, and sustainable jet-fuel production
and distribution industry in Brazil. When completed in late 2012, the
report, which will include a technology and sustainability roadmap,
will be made public.
The study will be guided by a series of public workshops during
2012 with input from a wide range of stakeholders, as well as a
strategic advisory board, which will give the project wide-ranging
guidance and institutional support. Members will include airlines,
fuel producers and suppliers, environmental experts, community
groups, and government agencies.
The study will frame the creation of a sustainable aviation
biofuels research center in Brazil. This center will be jointly funded by
FAPESP and industry in order to drive a long-term research agenda
for the development of aviation biofuels technology in Brazil. A special call for proposals by FAPESP
to establish this center is expected to follow the initial study
phase. The mission of the center will be to close the technical,
commercial, and sustainability gaps needed to enable the creation
of this new aviation fuel supply chain in Brazil.
"The partnership with Boeing and Embraer brings a new level of
FAPESP efforts to foster research partnerships between universities
and companies in Sao Paulo," said
Suely Vilela, member of FAPESP's
board of directors. "The research center will be created through
public selection, according to FAPESP's Research, Innovation and
Diffusion Centers, which aim to establish long-term advanced core
research that results in innovation."
"Brazil already has shown
global leadership in developing biofuels for ground
transportation," said Donna Hrinak,
president of Boeing Brazil. "Bringing together people from
throughout Brazil who possess the
leadership and expertise to create new, low-carbon energy sources
for aviation is the right thing to do for our industry, for our
customers, for Brazil, and for
future generations."
"Embraer is proud of the role it has always played in the growth
of Brazil's technological
knowledge base and making our country ever more attractive, not
only as a market but also as an innovation platform," said
Mauro Kern, Embraer's executive vice
president, Engineering and Technology. "Biofuel development has
long been a focus of ours in other partnerships, and this new
program will add substance to those efforts, especially because of
FAPESP's participation."
Boeing and Embraer are focused on creating sustainable aviation
biofuels produced from renewable resources that do not drive food
competition in vulnerable regions by competing with land and water
resources. Both companies are bringing together agricultural
interests, academic researchers, environmental experts, refiners
and aerospace companies around the globe to establish local
infrastructure needed to develop a sustainable and economically
viable biofuels industry.
In 2008, FAPESP announced a broad research program in bioenergy
(BIOEN), through which the foundation supports more than 300
biomass and biofuels production scientists from Brazil and 11 other countries, as well as
students and post-doctoral researchers.
Since 2008, flight tests conducted by airlines and military
operators show that biofuels perform as well as or better than
kerosene-based jet fuel.
About Boeing
Boeing is the world's leading aerospace company and the largest
manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft
combined. It also designs and manufactures rotorcraft, electronic
and defense systems, missiles, satellites, launch vehicles and
advanced information and communication systems. Boeing Research
& Technology, the company's advanced, central
research-and-technology organization, works with top government,
private and university research centers around the world to find
and develop the most innovative and affordable aerospace solutions
possible. For more information, please visit www.boeing.com.
About Embraer
Embraer S.A. (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA) is the world's largest
manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of
Brazil's leading exporters. A
global company founded in 1969, Embraer designs, develops,
manufactures and sells aircraft and systems for the commercial
aviation, executive aviation, and defense and security segments. It
also provides after-sales support and services to customers
worldwide. On Sept. 30, 2011, Embraer
had a workforce of 17,204 employees – not counting the employees of
its partially owned subsidiaries – and its firm order backlog
totaled $16 billion (U.S.
dollars).
About the Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Sao Paulo Research Foundation – FAPESP – is an independent
public foundation with the mission to foster research and the
scientific and technological development of the State of Sao Paulo. This is achieved through
the support of research projects carried out in higher education
and research institutions, in all fields of knowledge. For more
information, please visit http://www.fapesp.br/en/.
Contacts:
Marcia Costley, Boeing
Communications, +1 714-316-4267, Marcia.b.costley@boeing.com
Tom Koehler, Boeing Communications,
+1 425-373-2921, Thomas.j.koehler@boeing.com
Flavia Seckles, Embraer, +1 55 12 8111-0600,
flavia.sekles@embraer.com.br
Samuel Antenor, FAPESP, +1 55 11
3838-4381, Samuel@fapesp.br
SOURCE Boeing