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U.S. SAF Production Capacity Could Have Risen 1,400% in 2024—If Projects Came Online

The EIA’s 2024 estimate of a potential 1,400% increase in U.S. SAF capacity depended on announced projects coming online. It was not proof of actual production.
From TheFinanceBase Team4 min to read
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected in July 2024 that domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capacity could rise from about 2,000 barrels per day to nearly 30,000 barrels per day during the year—but only if all announced additions came online. That was a conditional capacity forecast, not confirmation that the facilities opened or produced fuel at that rate. The EIA source establishes the projection, not the final 2024 outcome.

What the 1,400% figure actually meant

On July 17, 2024, the EIA said U.S. SAF production capacity could increase from around 2,000 barrels per day (b/d) to nearly 30,000 b/d if all announced capacity additions came online. That is the basis for describing the potential increase as roughly 1,400%. The agency’s wording matters: this was a projection dependent on projects being completed and available, not a report of measured production. EIA’s July 2024 analysis gives the estimate and its condition.

Capacity is not the same as production

Capacity describes how much facilities could produce under specified operating conditions. Actual production depends on whether projects are commissioned, operate reliably, have feedstock available, and produce SAF rather than other renewable fuels. A headline about a possible capacity increase therefore cannot establish how much SAF was actually made or supplied to airlines.

Which projects were expected to add capacity?

At the beginning of 2024, the EIA identified two U.S. plants as capable of producing SAF: World Energy’s Paramount, California, plant, and Montana Renewables’ Great Falls, Montana, plant. Its July outlook then pointed to two expected additions:

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  • Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewed project: the EIA expected it to produce up to about 10,000 b/d of SAF beginning in summer 2024.
  • Diamond Green Diesel’s Port Arthur project: the EIA expected it to produce about 15,000 b/d of SAF by the end of 2024.

Those were expectations reported at the time, not verified commissioning or output figures. The near-30,000-b/d estimate depended on all announced additions coming online. The EIA’s account of the plants and expected timing is in its July 2024 article.

Why EIA’s broader biofuel forecast is not a SAF forecast

The EIA tracks SAF within a category called “Other Biofuels,” which also includes renewable heating oil, naphtha, propane, gasoline, and emerging biofuels. Its short-term outlook projected that the category would increase by about 50% in 2024 and nearly double from 2024 to 2025. Those figures apply to the category as a whole, not to SAF alone: the agency said it did not publish a separate forecast for each fuel in it. EIA explains the category and forecast limitation here.

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This distinction is useful when comparing headlines with official data. The 1,400% estimate concerned possible U.S. SAF capacity additions; the cited EIA production forecast concerned a broader group of biofuels. Neither figure, by itself, shows realized SAF output.

How the U.S. estimate fits with global SAF projections

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projected global SAF production of 1.9 billion liters, or 1.5 million tonnes, in 2024—equivalent to 0.53% of aviation fuel needs. That is a global production projection, so it should not be compared directly with the EIA’s U.S.-only capacity estimate. Volume of fuel produced and potential output capacity are different measures, as are global and domestic scopes. IATA’s June 2024 outlook provides the global estimate.

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IATA also reported 140 announced renewable-fuel projects with the capability to produce SAF. If all proceeded as announced, their combined renewable-fuel capacity could reach 51 million tonnes by 2030. That total is for renewable fuels, not SAF alone, and remains conditional. IATA noted that projects typically take three to five years to move from planning to production and that not every announced project reaches a final investment decision.

What could limit the scale-up?

Project completion and investment

Announced capacity does not guarantee an operating plant. The multi-year timeline and risk that a project never reaches a final investment decision help explain why a forecast based on every announced addition is an optimistic condition rather than a settled outcome.

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Feedstock and production pathways

IATA estimated that about 80% of SAF expected to be produced over the following five years would likely come from hydrogenated esters and fatty acids (HEFA), using feedstocks such as used cooking oils and animal fats. It identified agricultural and forestry residues and municipal waste as potential sources of diversification. These are IATA’s industry assessments and opportunities, not proof that such feedstocks will be available at the scale needed.

Existing refinery infrastructure

IATA also discussed co-processing approved renewable feedstocks in existing refineries as one way to expand production. This is an industry proposal for using existing infrastructure; it does not establish how much additional SAF capacity it would deliver in the United States.

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Why the capacity question matters for aviation fuel

For context, the EIA reported U.S. petroleum jet-fuel consumption of about 1.6 million b/d in 2023 and, in its 2023 Annual Energy Outlook, projected U.S. jet-fuel demand to exceed 2.0 million b/d in 2050. These are jet-fuel figures, not SAF production figures. They illustrate the scale difference: even a large percentage increase from a small SAF capacity base would still represent only a portion of total jet-fuel demand. The figures and their source context appear in the EIA analysis.

Did U.S. SAF capacity actually rise 1,400% in 2024?

The July 2024 EIA projection alone cannot answer that. It documents a conditional forecast, while the cited material does not establish final 2024 U.S. operating capacity or production. To determine whether the increase occurred, compare the forecast with final EIA data and distinguish SAF-specific output from the broader “Other Biofuels” category.

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