Parkland’s Burnaby Refinery Becomes the First to Successfully Produce Low Carbon Aviation Fuel in Canada

(Parkland) Parkland announced it has successfully produced Canada’s first batch of low carbon aviation fuel at its Burnaby Refinery. With support from the Government of British Columbia, this is a major step toward delivering a Canadian-made solution that can help lower aviation sector emissions, foster economic growth, and support the low-carbon ambitions of British Columbia and Canada.

“Parkland is thrilled to demonstrate its leadership and proven expertise at the Burnaby Refinery by becoming the first Company to produce low carbon aviation fuel in Canada,” said Ferio Pugliese, Senior Vice President at Parkland. “Thanks to the vision and skill of our team, the leadership of the Government of British Columbia and Air Canada, Canadians can see the possibility of flying with Canadian-made low carbon fuel. This pilot project demonstrates how constructive incentives can spur Canadian production of low carbon aviation fuel.”

Using existing infrastructure, Parkland’s Burnaby Refinery has successfully produced approximately 101,000 litres of low carbon aviation fuel by using non-food grade canola and tallow as core feedstocks. With appropriate certification across the full supply chain, low carbon aviation fuel (LCAF) could be classified as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This batch of fuel has been purchased by Air Canada.

"I want to congratulate Parkland on this groundbreaking initiative that aligns with our government's climate goals and the urgency in which we must address climate change," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. "British Columbia leads the way in incentivizing innovation to reduce emissions across many sectors, and Parkland continues to be an outstanding partner and role model for biofuel producers."

“This represents our first commercial purchase of Canadian produced low carbon aviation fuel,” said Michael Rousseau, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. “Currently, the Canadian airline industry is dependent on international imports of low carbon fuels, making Parkland’s accomplishment a critical first step in creating domestic supply. Air Canada is actively pursuing efforts to mitigate its greenhouse gas emissions and LCAF and SAF are a critical component of our multifaceted approach to reducing our impact on the environment and promoting environmental sustainability in our operations. We encourage all levels of government to support the development of a competitive low carbon aviation fuel or SAF industry and production market in Canada with balanced, supporting policies.”

Low carbon aviation fuel has lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than conventional jet fuel and can be used in existing aircraft without modification. Parkland’s Burnaby Refinery is the first company to produce this fuel in Canada. Through incentives and ongoing government support, this fuel can play an essential role in supporting Canada’s 2050 net-zero targets.

Parkland is an international fuel distributor, marketer, and convenience retailer with operations in 26 countries across the Americas. We serve over one million customers each day. Our retail network meets the fuel and convenience needs of everyday consumers. Our commercial operations provide businesses with industrial fuels so that they can better serve their customers. In addition to meeting our customers' needs for essential fuels, we provide a range of choices to help them lower their environmental impact. These include renewable fuels sourcing, manufacturing, and blending, carbon and renewables trading, solar power, and ultra-fast EV charging. With approximately 4,000 retail and commercial locations across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean region, we have developed supply, distribution, and trading capabilities to accelerate growth and business performance.

Our strategy is focused on two pillars: our Customer Advantage and our Supply Advantage. Through our Customer Advantage, we aim to be the first choice of our customers, cultivating their loyalty through proprietary brands, differentiated offers, our extensive network, competitive pricing, reliable service, and our compelling loyalty program. Our Supply Advantage is based on achieving the lowest cost to serve among independent fuel marketers and distributors in the hard-to-serve markets in which we operate, through our well-positioned assets, significant scale, and deep supply and logistics capabilities. Our business is underpinned by our people and our values of safety, integrity, community, and respect, which are deeply embedded across our organization.

Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country’s flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and Internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada’s Aeroplan program is Canada’s premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel, and car rental partners. Through Air Canada Vacations, it offers more travel choices than any other Canadian tour operator to hundreds of destinations worldwide, with a wide selection of hotels, flights, cruises, day tours, and car rentals. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada’s passenger and freighter aircraft. Air Canada’s climate ambition includes a long-term aspirational goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. For additional information, please see Air Canada’s TCFD disclosure. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OTCQX in the US. READ MORE