Montana Renewables to supply up to 30 million gallons of SAF to MSP airport

Photo: Montana Renewables

Calumet subsidiary Montana Renewables, a leading renewable fuel company located in Great Falls, Montana, announced in early August that it will supply up to 30 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) through its existing Shell offtake agreement.

In late July, the opening of a new SAF blending facility serving MSP was celebrated.

Located at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount, Minnesota, the facility can accommodate up to 30 million gallons of neat SAF annually, blend it with conventional jet fuel and deliver blended SAF to MSP airport through existing pipeline infrastructure.

With the new facility, SAF can now be supplied, blended and uplifted at MSP in commercial volumes, enabling use of Minnesota’s SAF tax credit.

The Flint Hills Resources SAF blending capability consists of rail unloading systems, large-volume storage tanks, underground pipelines, instrumentation and filtration systems, product quality controls, a state-of-the-art lab and a 10-mile pipeline directly to MSP.

Neat SAF produced in Montana will be railed in and blended with conventional fuel produced at Pine Bend.

Flint Hills will be responsible for testing and certifying the SAF blends.

Shell will supply the neat SAF and bring its expertise in product quality, supply chains and logistics to the team.

In September 2024, the Minnesota SAF Hub celebrated the first shipment of blended SAF to MSP and Delta Air Lines’ first-ever commercial flight in North America fueled in part by SAF made from winter camelina.

That demonstration showed that SAF could move through the value chain and into the fuel supply at MSP.

This was also when Montana Renewables’ partnership began with the Minnesota SAF Hub.

“It’s been exciting to partner with the Minnesota SAF Hub and help bring renewable fuel to MSP,” said Bruce Fleming, the CEO of Montana Renewables. “This is a perfect example of cross-industry collaboration that makes a real impact in moving the energy transition forward.”

The newly completed blending facility builds on that by establishing the infrastructure needed for commercial-scale SAF delivery in Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota SAF Hub, the blending facility also creates a clear path to market for SAF producers evaluating where to sell future supply.

“By enabling SAF to be blended locally and delivered directly to MSP Airport, Minnesota now has a practical mechanism for producers, airlines and corporate customers to participate in SAF deployment and help scale the market,” the Minnesota SAF Hub stated.