Photo credit: Delta Air Lines.
Delta Air Lines and its partners in the Minnesota SAF Hub have completed a sustainable aviation fuel blending facility at Flint Hills Resources' Pine Bend Refinery, expanding infrastructure to supply SAF to Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.
The facility enables sustainable aviation fuel to be blended locally with conventional jet fuel before being transported through existing pipeline infrastructure to the airport. Delta, which consumes about 250 million gallons of jet fuel annually at its Minneapolis St. Paul hub, said the project is an important step toward increasing SAF availability at one of its largest operations.
The blending facility is expected to handle up to 30 million gallons of neat sustainable aviation fuel annually. SAF is produced from renewable feedstocks and can significantly reduce lifecycle carbon emissions compared with conventional jet fuel.
Delta and Flint Hills Resources first announced plans for the facility in September 2024. The project represents one of four milestones identified by the Minnesota SAF Hub, a coalition launched in 2023 by Delta, Greater MSP Partnership, Bank of America, Ecolab and Xcel Energy to develop a regional sustainable aviation fuel economy.
Federal, state and local officials joined representatives from Delta, Flint Hills Resources, Ecolab and Greater MSP Partnership to mark the completion of the facility.
The aviation industry has identified sustainable aviation fuel as a key tool for reducing emissions because it can be used in existing aircraft engines and transported through much of the current fuel infrastructure. However, limited production capacity continues to constrain broader adoption, making investments in production, supply chains and blending infrastructure important to expanding SAF use.
The new blending facility also supports Delta's broader sustainable aviation fuel strategy. Earlier this year, the airline announced a five-year collaboration with Shell Aviation to increase SAF availability at several major U.S. airports, including Minneapolis St. Paul, through 2030.
Jet fuel accounts for about 90 percent of Delta's carbon emissions. The airline has set a goal of using sustainable aviation fuel for 10 percent of its jet fuel consumption by 2030 as part of its long-term objective of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Source: Delta Air Lines, "Delta joins Minnesota leaders to celebrate opening of new SAF blending facility serving MSP"