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Western Slope feasibility study finds no near-term business case for local SAF plant; county to stay ready for developer interest
Summary
A county-funded feasibility study found the Western Slope has diverse but dispersed feedstocks for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), raising logistical and economic barriers to a locally built SAF plant today; staff recommended continuing relationship-building with developers and exploring policy tools to attract investment.
Pitkin County presented findings from a regional feasibility study on producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on the Western Slope at the Jan. 20 work session, concluding the project did not identify a clear near‑term business case for a locally sited SAF plant but recommended condition-setting to attract private investment.
Michael Port, the county’s climate action analyst, summarized a study funded in part by a DOLA grant and executed by Savia Consulting. The team examined feedstock availability, technology options and market conditions across partner counties including Mesa, Eagle and Delta. "We did not find a business case today for building a SAF plant, given current technology," Port said, describing a pivot in the study from strict feedstock modeling toward dialogue with potential developers.
The consultants narrowed potential feedstocks to three categories with distinct constraints: forest-residue material (sizable volumes but dispersed across federal lands, creating aggregation and reliability challenges); oilseed crops (the most commercially proven route but limited local processing capacity and likely need for imported feedstock); and municipal solid waste (technically sufficient volume across the region but politically and logistically difficult to consolidate and transport at scale).
Port said Eagle County’s pilot — a proposed small modular reactor conversion at a landfill — is being watched closely as a near-term model; other commissioners emphasized the water intensity of some SAF technologies (one figure cited in discussion was about 1.5–2.9 gallons of water per gallon of SAF in some processes) and the possibility that larger or out-of-state producers could still be better positioned to supply SAF at scale.
"We wouldn't want to be the developer as governments," Port said, adding that local governments could create conditions to encourage private investment, such as incentives, infrastructure or permitting clarity. He also noted Atlantic Aviation is already supplying a 20% SAF blend at some airports, showing market demand for blended product even without regional production.
Commissioners and staff discussed follow-up steps including continuing developer outreach, tracking Eagle County’s pilot, assessing infrastructure constraints (rail and processing), and evaluating policy levers such as airport purchasing, state incentives or federal support. No formal county commitment to a specific SAF project was made; the county will retain the remaining study funds for targeted follow-up work and continue to share the full report and executive summary with partners.
