Marquis Energy in Hennepin is working with a company called LanzaJet to produce sustainable aviation fuel. The companies are creating a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Facility which takes the ethanol they already make and turn it into jet fuel to create a fuel that produces less carbon emissions. The plan is to construct a 120 million gallon a year sustainable fuel plant with renewable diesel through LanzaJet. Director of Government Relations Dustin Marquis says the Inflation Reduction Act passed by the Biden Administration provides credits for the company to be able to this.
Marquis also says it’s a drop in fuel, which means the engines of jets and other airplanes don’t need to be changed for it to work.
He says there are some companies that are using the fuel but the industry isn’t up to scale yet. He says once the sustainable fuel is at a better scale, major airports and major airlines will be able to purchase the fuel and fly planes that are producing lower carbon emissions. He also says the fuel facility will benefit farmers in Illinois that grow the corn for the ethanol because the fuel is not being made overseas.