Minnesota facilities to boost sustainable aviation fuel production
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Minnesota is expanding its production of sustainable aviation fuel, as airlines look for lower-emission alternatives to fossil fuels.
In a gathering at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport Tuesday, state officials and leaders of several companies across Minnesota said they’re opening multiple production facilities for sustainable aviation fuels, or SAF. The fuel is derived from crops, waste and other biomass, and it’s a key part of airlines’ plans to reduce carbon emissions.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said this will be a boost to the environment — and the economy.
“Minnesota is uniquely positioned in developing this industry, from our diverse and abundant feedstocks to low carbon processing potential, and the best airport in the country,” Flanagan said.
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Delta Air Lines, in collaboration with Flint Hills Resources, is developing a facility in Rosemount that will blend sustainable fuel with conventional fuel and ship it through an existing pipeline to MSP.
Project leaders said this facility will be online by the end of 2025. They said it will be able to process 30 million gallons of SAF every year.
An existing plant in Luverne is also converting to a SAF facility. It will be able to convert crops — like corn and soy — to fuels. The site received a grant for SAF production in August from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Delta executive vice president Peter Carter said these facilities will provide a valuable boost to SAF availability.
“We fully expect that at MSP airport in the near future, Delta Airlines will be able to proudly say every single flight — frankly, not just for Delta, but for the entire industry — is fueled by some SAF,” Carter said.
These steps come a year after several companies — including Delta, Greater MSP, Ecolab, Bank of America and Xcel Energy — created the Minnesota SAF Hub, a coalition looking to scale up the supply of SAF in Minnesota.
Several major airlines are looking to sustainable aviation fuel as a strategy to reduce carbon emissions; Delta aims to use 10 percent SAF on all its flights by 2030 as a step towards its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
But demand is outpacing supply, and sustainable fuel is more expensive than traditional fuel. Minnesota SAF Hub leaders said that’s why they’re aiming to bolster every step of the production process.
State and federal lawmakers have also instituted tax incentives for producing SAF.
In addition to new facilities, the SAF Hub says it has also secured commitments from several companies to purchase several million gallons of Minnesota-produced SAF each year.
University of Minnesota researchers are involved, as well; partners are working to develop more crops that can be converted to fuel.
Leaders hope that, should Minnesota’s SAF production take off, other places will be able to take it as an example in their efforts to scale up the industry.
“Business and governments around the world are looking for a model that accelerates business growth while protecting people and natural resources in ways that are sustainable for passengers as well,” said Ecolab CEO Christophe Beck, one of the partners on the SAF project. “I think that we’re creating a one-of-a-kind model here.”
