Synthec Fuels Plans $1.5B Woody Biomass To SAF Facility In Wisconsin

Synthec Fuels AG, a German biofuel company, has announced plans to build its first U.S. sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Hayward, Wis. after a $120 million tax incentive package was signed into law by Wisconsin governor Tony Evers. The project is estimated to cost $1.5 billion and would be a welcomed boost into the depressed region’s economy.

The incentive package was signed into law specifically to target the planned facility, a partnership between the German Synthec Fuels and the local Johnson Timber, would convert some 900,000 green tons of woody biomass into 50 million gallons of jet fuel annually.  The development group still needs to complete a feasibility study and permitting before breaking ground and the tax benefits will not flow to the facility until significant capital has been invested.

The fuel is largely expected to go to European markets, where the United Kingdom and European Union regulations increasingly require the use of sustainable fuel by airlines. Once fully operational, the plant will employ 185 full-time.

Johnson told local news outlets the developers are working to finalize a feasibility study in the next couple weeks, and the permitting process will “hopefully” start in June or July, which could take another year. Then, construction of the plant is expected to take between three-and-a-half to four years, which, with “any luck,” will be operational by 2030.