Corporate coalition launches sustainable aviation fuel hub to help commercial aviation decarbonize

The GREATER MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Delta Air Lines, Ecolab and Xcel Energy formed the first large-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) hub in the United States this week to scale production and replace conventional jet fuel, decarbonizing aggressively by 2050.

The Minnesota SAF Hub laid out for main points to its ongoing strategy: environmental and water stewardship throughout the SAF production process, production of affordable and low-carbon SAF through an integrated value chain, adoption of new solutions and technologies to scale commercial progress and boost SAF, and support for university and private-sector research and collaboration to tackle roadblocks to commercially viable production of ultra-low carbon SAF from regenerative agricultural inputs. They will be joined in these efforts by other institutions along the way, including the state of Minnesota, and have opened their doors to new members.

“SAF is a next-generation technology that will help us advance our vision of providing net-zero energy to our customers by 2050,” Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO of Xcel Energy, said. “We’re excited to support carbon reductions in the transportation sector by supplying carbon-free electricity and clean fuels like hydrogen and renewable natural gas, spurring commercial-scale SAF production in our headquarters state of Minnesota. This coalition also allows Xcel Energy to explore other end uses for SAF, including as a clean fuel for power generation and home heating.”

SAF is already a jet fuel certified for use in aircraft engines and transportable through existing pipeline infrastructure. Traditionally, it’s produced from renewable feedstocks and used cooking oil, and the industry predicts it capable of reducing lifecycle carbon emissions in the aviation sector by more than 80 percent over traditional fuel. In a statement, the Minnesota SAF Hub labeled SAF the best decarbonization lever at the aviation industry’s disposal in the near to mid-term.

There’s one problem with this: despite major commitments to SAF in the coming decades, there currently isn’t enough being produced to fuel commercial airlines worldwide for even a single day. That’s why the coalition is moving to assemble parties at every level of the value chain to help.

In the immediate term, the hub seeks to bring commercial-scale volumes of SAF to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP) International Airport from out of state as soon as 2025, thanks in part to the Minnesota SAF tax credit. It also seeks to work with current and prospective producers to increase SAF production in Minnesota, while expanding its membership base. From there, it intends to begin new jet fuel production in-state and work to reduce the carbon intensity of SAF by incorporating carbon capture and regenerative agricultural methods and crops.

In the longer-term, the Minnesota SAF Hub will focus on maximizing scale and greenhouse gas reductions through advanced technologies, and improving Minnesota’s production capabilities.