Plans for Minnesota’s first SAF blending facility revealed

SAF is a safe and certified alternative jet fuel that can reduce lifecycle carbon emissions of jet fuel by more than 80%. Neat SAF is produced using renewable feedstocks including agricultural biomass, woody biomass, hydrogen, continuous living cover crops, and used cooking oil and is a drop-in replacement for regular jet fuel, known as Jet A. Current certification standards, allow up to 50% neat SAF to be blended with Jet A. However, as a nascent industry, there is not enough SAF being produced today to fuel the world’s airlines for a single week.

On 10 September, the Minnesota SAF Hub announced several first-of-their-kind major milestones since it began building an industrial scale value chain to produce SAF in Minnesota one year ago. Each milestone contributes to the coalition’s mission of developing a fully integrated SAF supply chain within the state of Minnesota to serve Minnesota airports and beyond.

• Announcing the first SAF blending facility in Minnesota: Flint Hills Resources in collaboration with Delta Air Lines is in the early stages of developing a facility to blend up to 30 million gal. of neat SAF at its Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, Minn. This work is expected to be completed in 4Q25, and the facility is likely to be the first between the coasts that can blend neat SAF with conventional jet fuel. Shell will supply the neat SAF and bring its expertise in product quality, supply chains and logistics to the team. The Flint Hills refinery’s laboratory, and compliance and quality control systems, will be used to meet required specifications, and state and federal regulatory requirements, for the jet fuel it produces and blends with SAF. The blended fuel will be delivered via Flint Hills’ existing pipeline to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) – Delta’s second largest hub.
• Making SAF cost-competitive: A 'Demand Consortium' that includes Bank of America, Deloitte, Delta, and Ecolab has been formed to purchase the first several million gallons of SAF each year, with purchases anticipated to start in the 4Q25. The goal: scale production, drive down costs and secure multi-year demand that spurs continued growth of the SAF market. Each of these companies are providing funding to support the market production of SAF, which are expected to contribute to verified carbon emission reductions associated with their employee business travel.
• Establishing SAF production in Minnesota: On 16 August 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a US$16.8 million Inflation Reduction Act grant to convert an existing Gevo ethanol and isobutanol fuel facility in Luverne, Minn., into a fully integrated alcohol-to-jet fuel facility for SAF production. This will allow the first conversion of Minnesota crops to SAF within the state.
• Making SAF out of next-generation feedstocks: Coalition partners at the University of Minnesota are developing a novel crop called winter camelina seed – which can be used for a variety of purposes, including producing oil for conversion into SAF. Camelina oil has a very low carbon intensity (CI) score and growing this crop over the winter can protect soil and improve water quality. Although this crop is early in its development, future opportunities are promising, and the MN SAF Hub is working to bring the first shipment of camelina-derived SAF to MSP this fall. Montana Renewables, LLC, a SAF producer in Great Falls, MT, has been actively supporting the MN SAF Hub’s work in this space.

“Public and private sector leaders in Minnesota are building an entirely new industry in this state to solve one of the world’s toughest climate problems – decarbonising air travel,” said President and CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership Peter Frosch. “One year after launching the Minnesota SAF Hub, our coalition is celebrating four firsts. Achieving these milestones mean Minnesota’s SAF economy is now real and open for business. Unlikely partners, combined with a good strategy and lots of hard work made these achievements possible. We are on track to create thousands of good jobs and generate billions of dollars in new investment across Minnesota by delivering a clean energy solution the country and the world urgently need. The development of a SAF industry is a multi-year effort to accelerate the region’s economic growth and boost our global competitiveness. GREATER MSP is proud to be leading this effort, which is part of a new era of Minnesota innovation.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/10092024/plans-for-minnesotas-first-saf-blending-facility-revealed/