The infrastructure is now in place. The market can begin. 

For the past three years, Minnesota has been building something that doesn't exist anywhere else in the United States: a regional ecosystem capable of producing, delivering and using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at commercial scale. 

Today, that vision reached an important milestone. 

With the completion of a new blending facility at Flint Hills Resources' Pine Bend Refinery, sustainable aviation fuel can now be blended, certified and delivered directly to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) in commercial volumes. The facility adds one of the final pieces of infrastructure needed to launch Minnesota's SAF economy and creates a practical pathway for producers, airlines and corporate customers to participate in one of aviation's most important climate solutions.   

"This is the moment Minnesota's SAF economy begins," said Peter Frosch, President and CEO of the GREATER MSP Partnership. "Three years of collaboration among business, government, universities and environmental organizations has resulted in entirely new infrastructure that will serve Minnesota—and the world—for decades to come."  

More than a blending facility 

This milestone isn't simply about new infrastructure. It's about proving a new model for economic development. 

Rather than waiting for an industry to emerge elsewhere, Minnesota's public, private and academic sectors came together to intentionally build one—from policy and feedstocks to production, infrastructure and market demand. 

That work has included bipartisan state policies, demonstration flights, partnerships with farmers and fuel producers, investment in research, and the creation of the nation's first regional SAF hub. The new blending facility is the connective tissue that allows those pieces to function as a complete value chain. 

For producers evaluating where to bring new SAF supply to market, Minnesota is now open for business.  

Building Minnesota's next economy 

Around the world, demand for SAF is accelerating as airlines seek practical ways to reduce aviation emissions. 

Minnesota is uniquely positioned to lead because it combines abundant agricultural resources, world-class corporate partners, leading research institutions and an unmatched culture of collaboration. 

The Minnesota SAF Hub was created to connect those strengths into something larger than any one organization could build alone. Today's announcement demonstrates what that approach can accomplish. 

This isn't the finish line, but the beginning of a new clean-energy industry capable of creating jobs, strengthening rural economies, expanding domestic energy production and positioning Minnesota as a global leader in sustainable aviation.