DG Fuels announces plans to develop SAF facility in Maine

DG Fuels LLC on Nov. 14 announced it has signed key land agreement for the development of its second proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility. That 175 MMgy facility is planned for development in Maine. DGF’s first SAF plant is under development in Louisiana.

The company said it has executive a long-term lease agreement with the Loring Development Authority for 1,240 acres of contiguous land in Aroostock County, Maine. The land, part of the former Air Force Base, will be the site of DGF’s second SAF facility as well as the site for other industrial development.

Subject to timely financing commitments, DGF said it plans to break ground on the Maine facility in mid-2024, with the facility expected to be complete in 2027.

According to DGF, the location in Maine offers several key logistical and environmental advantages, including the ability to import stranded hydroelectric power and regional timber and agricultural waste while exporting net-zero-carbon SAF by pipeline. These key advantages, when combined with DGF’s Fischer-Tropsch technology, are currently expected to enable fuel production with a carbon intensity (CI) score of approximately negative 1 gram per megajoule.

“DG Fuels base line process differs from other systems by having little or no environmental emissions either to the atmosphere or waters while at the same time providing a customer for all forms of agricultural waste to the regions agricultural community alongside waste from the timber industry.” said Michael C. Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels. 

“This exciting project will support efforts by the Mills Administration to revitalize the former Loring Air Force Base and bring new good-paying job opportunities to Aroostook County. We look forward to working closely with DG Fuels as this project continues to take shape,” said Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic & Community Development. 

Earlier this month, DGF announced the execution of a long-term agreement with an undisclosed investment-grade industrial buyer to sell up to 46 million gallons of SAF per year from the company’s proposed 120 MMgy facility in Louisiana. The buyer will also purchase all the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard credits generated by the facility, along with all the renewable identification numbers (RINs) generated under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. The Louisiana facility is currently expected to begin SAF production in 2026.