The Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota, is attempting something ambitious: to produce large volumes of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by blending it with conventional jet fuel, then distributing it via pipeline to the nearby Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The immediate plan is to have up to 60 million gallons of blended fuel flowing by 2025, with a long-term goal of 1 billion gallons per year, tells WIRED.com.
The project is backed by major players such as Deloitte, Bank of America, and Koch Industries, which owns Pine Bend. It also relies heavily on renewable inputs and waste feedstocks, such as timber waste and corn residues, to make SAF. However, there are many obstacles. The fuel is more expensive to produce than conventional jet fuel. Additionally, essential infrastructure still needs to be built or adapted; for example, specialty pumps and blending facilities. Much of the future depends on steady and substantial policy incentives, including federal tax credits, loans, and legal mandates.
Politically, the project’s timeline and financial foundation are fragile. Incentives under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act are critical to its financing. But with political changes, especially under the Trump administration, there is uncertainty. Some promised funding has been delayed, and there are fears that federal support could be rolled back or eliminated.
Despite these risks, the industry sees strong demand. Airlines want SAF, and many producers report more demand than they can supply. But demand alone won’t solve the problems; feedstock availability, logistics, infrastructure upgrades, and stable policy support are equally important.
Pine Bend and others like it are trying to move SAF from a niche effort to a standard fuel source. The technology more or less exists. What’s less certain is whether the economic, political, and logistical pieces will hold together long enough to scale. Without reliable subsidies, clear mandates, and infrastructure investment, the rollout could stall despite strong demand.