The price and available quantity of alternative fuels are preventing the Air Force from using those fuels it has certified for use in its fleet, according to the service’s energy czar.
Kevin Geiss, deputy assistant Air Force secretary for energy, said yesterday the service is ready to use the fuels, having certified its entire fleet to use alternative fuels. Geiss said the Air Force had a goal of being ready to use an alternate fuel blend by 2016.
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| Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy Kevin Geiss. Photo: Air Force. |
But Geiss said because the Air Force is a “consumer, not a producer” of these alternative fuels, their high cost means industry has to make them affordable enough for the Air Force to purchase.
“We believe industry is going to have to work that out,” Geiss said yesterday at an Air Force Association (AFA) breakfast in Arlington, Va. “If they see this as something they really want to do, they have to make a business case. It’s got to ‘pencil out’ to them before it hits a price that we would pay.”
One type of alternative fuel, known as Alcohol-To-Jet (ATJ), has been deemed by the Air Force to be a viable alternative to power the service’s aircraft instead of just military grade aviation fuel known as JP-8 or commercial jet fuel known as Jet A. ATJ is also very expensive as the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in September 2012 purchased 45,000 gallons at a price of $59 per gallon. As of Oct. 1, 2012, DLA purchased JP-8 at $3.73 per gallon and Jet A at $3.71 per gallon. ATJ is a cellulosic-based fuel that can be derived using wood, paper, grass or anything that is a cell-based material. JP-8 has additives inserted by the Defense Department (Defense Daily, Jan. 25).
The Air Force has been looking to get away from traditional crude oil not only for the financial savings but to also wean dependence from oil-producing nations that could be hostile to United States efforts. An industry source noted that while Geiss is correct on alternative fuels being expensive, that is using a short-term perspective.
“I think when Geiss says we’re limited there, I think that’s more of a short view,” the source said. “I would also look at it from a different lens: if an event happened in the world where the price of crude shot up, all of the alternative fuels become very inexpensive.”
Geiss also said the Air Force is moving to Jet A as its aviation fuel of choice before it fully vests in alternative fuels. The Air Force said in a statement that in addition to the additives JP-8 receives, it is also more expensive to store, produce and transport than commercial Jet A fuel. The service said it spent $7.2 billion on 2.7 billion gallons of fuel in 2010.