We are working to establish a new fuel facility that will produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD) from feedstocks such as renewable natural gas (RNG).
SkyNRG has successfully achieved a mitigated determination of non-significance (MDNS) for Project Wigeon by working with state and local agencies through the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review process to enable this exciting project at the Port of Walla Walla’s Wallula Gap Industrial Business Park in Eastern Washington.
Key facts of Project Wigeon
Clean tech jobs in Washington
Up to 600 jobs during construction.
Up to 100 jobs once production begins in 2031.
50M gal capacity
50 million gallons of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel (RD) annually.
165 acres site
The site will cover an area of approximately 165 acres.
Engineering and construction
Engineering is ongoing, construction of the project is expected to begin in 2028 and we anticipate SAF/RD production beginning in 2031.
Leading the global energy transition
“Our Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility in Eastern Washington will create many new family wage job opportunities in the Columbia Basin, expand solutions for the state’s clean tech sector, and help continue to make Washington a leader in the global energy transition.”
John Plaza CEO SkyNRG Americas
SAF from Project Wigeon
What is SAF?
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is kerosene (jet fuel) made from sustainable resources that can be mixed with fossil jet fuel to reduce lifecycle emissions for jet aircraft. It is a ‘drop-in’ fuel meaning it can be used with no changes needed to aircraft or existing fueling infrastructure at airports.
Learn moreSkyNRG SAF feedstock choices for Project Wigeon
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), otherwise known as biogenic methane is collected from domestic landfills, wastewater treatment facilities and manure from animal farms across America. This RNG can then be delivered to customers like SkyNRG through existing natural gas pipelines.
Learn moreSustainability is at the core of what we do
SkyNRG has an independent Sustainability Board that provides strategic guidance on wide-ranging sustainability issues. We have representatives from organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and University of Groningen.
Learn moreGHG reduction from Project Wigeon
The fuel produced at Project Wigeon is anticipated to increase domestic sources of jet fuel which reduce lifecycle GHG emissions by approximately 85% or greater compared to fossil jet. The GHG savings is modeled using the WA GREET Model and is compared to a fossil jet GHG intensity of 87.42 gCO2e/MJ.
Learn more on WA Greet ModelProject Wigeon status
Project Wigeon is set on a 165 acre site secured with the Port of Walla Walla. The project development funding is secured from existing investors.
Port of Walla WallaSupporting the community, the energy transition, and aviation
100’s of new family wage job opportunities in Eastern Washington.
Leading the energy transition: solutions for a cleaner future in aviation.
Supported by several Washington state climate policies.
Supporting aviation on its path towards net-zero in 2050.
Supporting families
Project Wigeon will create new family wage job opportunities in the clean tech sector that will benefit the community throughout the Columbia Basin. This will enable families to stay in their community with exciting new economic opportunities in the region. We estimate approximately 600 jobs during the three-year-long construction phase and approximately 100 full-time positions once the facility starts operating.
Supporting Washington’s economy
Our SAF facility will create a sustainable industry that produces clean fuels for the aviation (SAF) and road sectors (RD), thereby helping the state reduce its GHG emissions and air pollution with instate production of these fuels. Project Wigeon equals economic investment in Eastern Washington, family wage jobs, and environmental benefits.
SAF Particulate Matter Emissions ReductionsSupporting Washington’s climate policy
SkyNRG’s Project Wigeon is supported by several Washington state climate policies, including the Clean Fuels Standard, the Climate Commitment Act, and Washington State’s SAF production legislation. Due to the Project’s planned feedstocks, products, and location, all three of these important policies directly support the success of our Project.
Clean Fuels StandardSupporting aviation’s ambitions to reduce emissions
Our facility will convert RNG into SAF for the hard-to-decarbonize industries such as aviation and trucking industries. SAF is one of the only decarbonization solutions currently available for aviation with medium- and long-haul flights. SAF is also the single biggest lever to accomplish the industry’s stated goal of decarbonizing in the coming decades as new solutions such as batteries and hydrogen powered aircraft are still decades away from commercial reality for medium and long-haul flights.
IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuel
FAQs
Project Wigeon will create new family wage job opportunities in the clean tech sector throughout the Columbia Basin of the Pacific Northwest. We estimate approximately 600 employees during the three year-long construction phase and approximately 100 full-time employees for ongoing operations of the facility once it comes online in 2030. These will be highly technical industrial jobs with similar roles as the industrial facilities in the surrounding region.
We are seeking to construct a state-of-the-art-facility that will produce SAF and RD using cutting-edge technologies from our industry partners. The aviation sector has very few options to decarbonize safely and easily. SAF is one of the only decarbonization solutions currently available for medium and long-haul flights. SAF is also the single biggest lever to accomplish the industry’s stated goal of decarbonizing in the coming decades (IATA Net-Zero 2050 Goal and Airlines for America Net-Zero by 2050 Goal, IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuel) as well as supporting Washington state’s ambitious climate goals that include aviation decarbonization.
SkyNRG’s Project Wigeon is supported by our shareholders, our offtake partners and other regional stakeholders that want to support SAF produced in Washington. As the project progresses into construction, more information will be made available to the public on the costs, timeline and project partners as it progresses.
SkyNRG has an independent Sustainability Board that provides strategic guidance feedstock choices and wide-ranging sustainability issues. The Board advises on all aspects related to social and environmental sustainability, including the types of feedstocks used, R&D projects, project development, policy implications and growth strategies. More information can be found on how important this is to SkyNRG here – Sustainability is at the core of what we do – SkyNRG
For all of our facilities, the selection of SAF feedstocks and production technologies must meet our strict sustainability criteria. For project Wigeon, we will use domestic biogenic methane from landfills and other biogas sources (also known as Renewable Natural Gas or RNG) collected in Washington and across the nation to produce SAF and RD.
RNG is produced in Washington and across the US and is available in large quantities with significant growth planned in the coming years. Finally, RNG is a fungible molecule that is easily injected into the existing national gas grid to facilitate ready access for SAF production for companies like SkyNRG.
Learn more about RNG
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