SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – Illinois is making major strides in developing sustainable aviation fuel. Gov. JB Pritzker said the Wood River Refinery in Roxana is creating opportunities for farmers, producers, manufacturers and airlines.
The Metro East facility provides gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel to St. Louis, Chicago and other Midwest markets. However, the refinery has a special unit that produces conventional jet fuel that blends to make sustainable aviation fuel.
Company leaders said the hydrocracker is a key part of the supply chain that connects Phillips 66, United Airlines, Microsoft and the state of Illinois to have sustainable fuel at O’Hare airport.
“At Phillips 66, safety is a core value,” said Phillips 66 Vice President Heath Wanamaker. “It is the foundation for how we operate and conduct our business. It means protecting ourselves, our coworkers, our contractors, our visitors, our community, and the environment.”
The refinery created 11 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel thanks to a partnership through the Invest in Illinois Act. This law promotes retention and expansion of existing Illinois companies while attracting new industries with incentives to boost economic development.
“Together, we’re demonstrating what the future of sustainable fuel can look like, and we’re showing the rest of the country what meaningful policy can do to shape markets and scale SAF,” said United Airlines Chief Sustainability Officer Lauren Riley.
State leaders said this work is expected to eliminate the emissions from 800,000 passenger trips departing O’Hare International Airport in one year. The fuel is made from used cooking oil, tallow and distiller’s corn oil, which has created new options for agricultural byproducts and waste.
“As we move forward and this industry grows, we will no longer need to turn the crank on it because people will want to come here and use sustainable aviation fuel,” Pritzker said.
Illinois was the first state in the country to create a sustainable aviation fuel tax credit. Pritzker said this closes the price gap and makes it economically viable for companies to purchase and use the fuel.
