Calumet on Sept. 20 announced Montana Renewables LLC has produced and shipped Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport’s (MSP) first blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The SAF shipment arrived on Sept. 20 and will be used to fuel Delta Air Lines commercial flights. 

“We are pleased to remain at the forefront of the SAF revolution,” said Bruce Fleming, CEO of Montana Renewables. “MRL is an ISCC-approved SAF producer and the SAF being sold to MSP is produced from Minnesota camelina. This demonstrates shorter local supply chains, and pioneers camelina as a viable non-food oil that provides additional cash crop potential for farmers.”

According to Calumet, Montana Renewables is currently the largest SAF producer in North America. The company in August announced that Montana Renewable had achieved record SAF production of approximately 7 million gallons during the second quarter of 2024.

In its Sept. 20 announcement, Calumet noted the SAF delivery marks a significant milestone in the global transition to cleaner, sustainable aviation fuels and serves as a proof point in support of the Minnesota SAF Hub. The Minnesota SAF Hub is a first-of-its-kind effort to create a supply chain that can produce SAF on a large scale and deliver it to MSP. The initiative is led by the GREATER MSP Partnership in collaboration with Delta, Bank of America, Xcel Energy and other stakeholders. Montana Renewables is an active supporter of the initiative. 

Montana Renewables, a biorefinery located in Great Falls, Montana, is owned by Calumet and began producing SAF last year. Calumet February 2021 first announced plans to produce renewable fuels at its existing refinery in Great Falls by reconfiguring its oversized hydrocracker to process up to 15,000 barrels per day of renewable feedstocks, producing renewable diesel and SAF. The facility began producing on-spec renewable diesel in 2022, with plant capacity at 6,000 barrels per day. The Montana Renewables facility commissioned renewable hydrogen, SAF and feedstock pretreatment systems in early 2023, boosting capacity to 12,000 barrels per day. Current SAF capacity is in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 barrels per day, but Calumet is considering a move to what it calls MaxSAF, which would boost total capacity to 18,000 barrels per day of renewables, including 15,000 barrels per day of SAF.