COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          7d 
BRIEFING ITEM                            Date of Meeting      February 28, 2017 
DATE:     February 1, 2017 
TO:        Dave Soike, Interim Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Elizabeth Leavitt, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability 
Stephanie Meyn, Climate Protection Program Manager 
SUBJECT:  Aviation Biofuels Infrastructure Feasibility Study Results 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
Historically the Port of Seattle has been a leader in supporting research and development of
aviation biofuels, but as models of other airports and airlines using biofuel emerge (Los
Angeles, Amsterdam, Oslo), we are also developing a market-support role.
At present, aviation biofuel is not produced in Washington state and must be imported by
truck, rail, or barge. It must then be blended with regular petroleum-based jet fuel (as required
by fuel standards/law) before it is considered a "drop-in" fuel that can be used in aircraft and
regular fueling infrastructure. 
Aviation biofuel infrastructure integration will make Sea-Tac Airport an attractive option for
airlines committing to biofuel use, and will assist in attracting biofuel producers to the region as
part of a longer-term market development strategy. 
As leaders in aviation biofuels, the Port, together with the Boeing Company and Alaska Air
Group, signed a memorandum of understanding in December 2015 to conduct an Aviation
Biofuels Infrastructure Feasibility Study to identify the best approach to deliver blended biofuel
to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
The report was completed by a consultant team led by WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff on November
30, 2016. The report evaluated many locations along the Olympic Pipeline where biofuels could
be blended and injected into the delivery system. It also evaluated the infrastructure needed
for small and large biofuel delivery volumes.
The report concluded that the best locations to build infrastructure were dependent on the
annual biofuel delivery volume. For example, a small receiving and blending facility at the Sea-
Tac Fuel Farm is cost-effective and serves an existing fuel security need by creating more truck
offloading facilities, whereas a train- or marine-offloading facility should only be built when a
long-term supply agreement is in place. These large volume facilities could be built at existing
petroleum handling facilities in Renton or Skagit or Whatcom Counties. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. ____                                Page 2 of 3 
Meeting Date: February 28, 2017 

KEY FINDINGS OF STUDY 
The key findings of the study are as follows: 
A small biofuel receiving and blending facility at the Sea-Tac Airport Fuel Farm is the
most cost effective solution in the short term and would also fulfill an existing critical
need for additional local fuel receipt and storage capacity that is not dependent on the
Olympic Pipeline. 
Tesoro Anacortes was used as a proxy for any of the three refineries that currently
produce Jet-A fuel (used by all commercial jets) in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. These 
refineries are the most cost-effective options for receipt and blending of large volumes
of aviation biofuel over the long term. 
The Phillips 66/Olympic Pipeline Company site in Renton also showed potential to
accommodate receipt and blending facilities for moderate-to-large biofuel volumes over
the long term. 
Focus should be given to short-term investments at smaller scale facilities that are
flexible and could support other aviation fuel supply uses due to the lack of long-term
supply source for aviation biofuels. Identifying a biofuel supply source was not a part of
this study. 
Facilities that rely on offloading fuel via rail and marine modes are only cost-effective for
large volumes of biofuel over the long term due to high infrastructure costs. 
The Olympic Pipeline Company and the petroleum refineries and distributors have
showed strong interest in upgrading their facilities to handle aviation biofuel and
moving the blended product in their pipelines. 
As the biofuel supply expands, the Port of Seattle, its partners, and the fuel supply and
transport  organizations  could  work  cooperatively  toward  the  ultimate  goal  of
integrating aviation biofuel into the fuel hydrant delivery system at Sea-Tac Airport. 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1)   Presentation slides  Aviation Biofuels Infrastructure Briefing PowerPoint 
(2)   Aviation Biofuel Infrastructure Report Condensed PDF 



Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. ____                                Page 3 of 3 
Meeting Date: February 28, 2017 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
December 8, 2015  The Commission authorized the Chief Executive Officer to execute a
memorandum of understanding between the Port, Alaska Airlines, and Boeing to
conduct an Aviation Biofuels Infrastructure Feasibility Study. 
















Template revised September 22, 2016.