Avina unveils plans for 120 mgy alcohol-to-jet SAF plant in Midwestern US

Clean-hydrogen developer Avina announced plans April 3 for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in the Midwestern region of the U.S. set to begin operations in 2027.

The facility, engineered to produce 120 million gallons of SAF annually, will utilize an alcohol-to-jet production-technology pathway.

The SAF produced will have significantly reduced lifecycle-carbon emissions compared to conventional jet fuel.

The end product will be certified to meet ASTM D7566 standards.

Preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) for the project is complete, according to Avina, and FEED is expected to kick off this quarter.

Funding commitments for the project through a final investment decision (FID) have been secured, according to Avina.

Avina added that it is currently engaged in advanced discussions with various strategic and financial investors to fund the project at FID.

Avina also announced that it has entered into long-term supply agreements with leading ethanol suppliers for a significant portion of the low carbon-intensity (CI) ethanol-feedstock volume requirement.

Substantial volumes of ethanol will be supplied by facilities with operational carbon capture and sequestration, according to Avina.

Leveraging low-CI ethanol feedstock, the project is estimated to avoid around 840,000 metric tons of aviation-related carbon emissions annually.

The project will leverage existing rail and pipeline infrastructure to ensure optimal delivery of end product into the Chicago O’Hare and other regional airports.

The U.S. airline industry is experiencing a notable demand for SAF in response to commitments to utilize 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030.

Avina said it is proactively collaborating with airline customers and other stakeholders to play a key role in meeting this target.

“The strategic location, scale and cost-effectiveness offer a significant advantage for our SAF project,” said Vishal Shah, CEO and founder at Avina Clean Hydrogen. “The aviation sector accounts for 2 percent of global CO2 emissions. In recent years, emissions from this sector have been increasing at a faster rate compared to those from rail, road or shipping. SAF is critical to decarbonizing the aviation sector and the ethanol-to-jet production pathway is the most immediate, cost-effective and scalable option for aviation decarbonization. With the procurement of low-CI ethanol from existing production facilities that have CO2 capture and sequestration, we are excited about the project’s potential to drive the aviation industry’s decarbonization efforts forward.”