U.S. Launches Two New Hydroprocessed Biofuel Facilities Amid SAF Expansion

Two new hydroprocessed biofuel facilities have recently entered operation in the United States, further accelerating the country’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) expansion.

Par Pacific Holdings announced that Hawaii Renewables LLC, its joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation and ENEOS Holdings, began commercial operations in April at the Kapolei refinery in Hawaii. The project has a production capacity of approximately 61 million gallons per year. Initially, around 60% of the output is designed for SAF production, although the facility can shift to more than 90% renewable diesel production depending on market conditions. The project utilizes pretreatment technology supplied by Lutros LLC. Par Pacific stated that improving renewable fuel margins are expected to support the project’s long-term profitability.

Meanwhile, Calumet, Inc. confirmed that its Montana Renewables subsidiary completed maintenance and the MaxSAF 150 expansion project during March and April, with operations restarting in early May. The expansion increases SAF production capacity from 30 million gallons per year to between 120 million and 150 million gallons annually. The company also plans to further expand capacity to 300 million gallons per year by 2028 with support from a $1.44 billion U.S. federal loan guarantee.

Industry participants believe the latest projects highlight the rapid growth of the U.S. SAF sector amid stronger renewable fuel mandates and rising aviation decarbonization demand.