New Rise Renewables on April 9 announced work is underway to convert its existing renewable diesel plant located near Reno, Nevada, to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF production is currently expected to commence this summer. 

The 3,200 barrel per day (49.06 MMgy) renewable diesel plant originally began operations in mid-2022. The facility is situated on a 10-acre parcel at the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Complex in Storey County, Nevada. The project site includes a 16-car heated rail spurt, more than 5 million gallons of tankage, co-generation, off-gas energy recovery, water recovery, and cutting-edge technologies for hydrotreating, hydrogen reformer, feedstock pretreatment, and wastewater treatment, according to the company. 

“Our commitment to sustainability is unwavering, and we're thrilled to be at the forefront of the movement towards cleaner aviation fuels by driving production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)," said Randy Soule, CEO of New Rise Renewables. 

Soule's business partners, Bill Jones and Albert Mack added, "As the aviation sector undergoes a transformative shift towards sustainable practices, New Rise Renewables is proud to be a catalyst for change, driving innovation and promoting a greener future for air travel."

Development of the facility was supported by loan guarantee awarded through the USDA’s 9003, Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical and Biodiesel Production Manufacturing Assistance Program, according to Greater Commercial Lending, which helped assemble the loan package that made the project possible. According to a 2017 USDA announcement, the facility at that time was being developed under the name Ryze Renewables Reno LLC.  

The facility has been the subject of at least two acquisition agreements in recent years that were eventually canceled. According to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Camber Energy in January 2023 announced it had entered into a membership interest purchase agreement with RESC Renewables Holdings LLC to acquire all of the membership interests of New Rise Renewables LLC, which owned all of the membership interests in New Rise Renewables Reno LLC. On March 13, 2024, however, the companies terminated the agreement. The renewable diesel facility was previously subject to an acquisition agreement with Viking Energy Group Inc., which in December 2021 announced it had entered into a membership interest purchase agreement to acquire the companies developing the Reno plant. That transaction was not completed. According to information released by the companies, Viking Energy Group is subsidiary of Camber Energy.