Plans for Minnesota’s First Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Blending Facility Revealed by GREATER MSP Partnership-led Coalition

Latest Developments Come as the Minnesota SAF Hub Celebrates One Year of Progress

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GREATER MSP Partnership, in collaboration with Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab, Xcel Energy, and other leading stakeholders today announced major developments and celebrated a year of accomplishments toward operating the first large-scale, end-to-end sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) value chain in the United States.

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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 Tuesday, 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 gallons of neat SAF at its Pine Bend refinery in Rosemount, Minn. This work is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025, 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 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 fourth quarter of 2025. The goal is to scale production, drive down costs, and secure multi-year demand that spurs continued growth of the SAF market.

Establishing SAF production in Minnesota: On August 16, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a $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.

Peter Frosch, President and CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership, said: “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 – decarbonizing air travel. One year after launching the Minnesota SAF Hub, our coalition is celebrating four firsts. Achieving these milestones means Minnesota’s SAF economy is now real and open for business."

Peter Carter, Delta’s executive vice president of External Affairs, stated: “SAF is a proven way to reduce carbon emissions in the near term on our journey to net-zero emissions by 2050. That’s why this blending facility is so important – it’s like hanging an ‘Open for Business’ sign to SAF producers to consider doing business in Minnesota."

Christophe Beck, Ecolab Chairman & CEO, said: “Minnesota has all the components and expertise we need to finally activate and scale the SAF market in North America and beyond. Together, we are creating a model that advances Minnesota leadership and accelerates an industry primed for growth."

Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy chairman, president, and CEO, remarked: “Scaling a next-generation clean fuel takes a collective effort, and Minnesota is the right place to do it. Our participation highlights the role energy providers can play in reducing carbon emissions."

Lucas Giambelluca, president of Bank of America Minneapolis/Saint Paul, commented: "As part of Bank of America’s goal to support the production and use of one billion gallons of SAF by 2030, we were an early partner in the Minnesota SAF Hub and have been encouraged by the Coalition’s progress."

About the Minnesota SAF Hub

The Minnesota SAF Hub is led by the GREATER MSP, a partnership of more than 1,000 leaders from more than 300 leading businesses, universities, cities, counties, and philanthropic organizations working together to accelerate the competitiveness and inclusive economic growth of the 15-county Minneapolis–Saint Paul region while leading the nation in tackling the most difficult challenges of the new economy.

The Minnesota SAF Hub is the nation’s first large-scale hub committed to scaling the production of sustainable aviation fuel to replace conventional jet fuel. The coalition’s shared success will help decarbonize the airline industry, create great jobs, and build a sustainable, large-scale market for regenerative agricultural practices and products.