Sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel are becoming central to how the aviation and transportation sectors plan for lower emissions. The global sustainable aviation fuel market is valued at $5.75 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $26.1 billion by 2030, growing at a 46% CAGR. Meanwhile, the global renewable diesel market is expected to grow from USD 21.3 billion in 2026 to $57.9 billion by 2035. These are not small niches anymore. They are large, expanding markets backed by federal mandates and airline commitments to cut carbon.
Jet fuel currently trades well above $4 per gallon, which makes alternative fuels more economically competitive than they were a few years ago. Airlines can blend sustainable aviation fuel with conventional jet fuel and use existing aircraft without modifications, which removes a major barrier to adoption. The Environmental Protection Agency has set record-level renewable fuel volumes for 2026, including 5.61 billion gallons of renewable volume obligation, with growth paths defined for 2027 and beyond. This policy environment creates a floor for demand that did not exist in earlier clean fuel cycles.
XCF Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAFX) operates New Rise Renewables Reno, a 38-million-gallon-per-year refinery in Nevada that is undergoing conversion from renewable diesel production to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. The company announced today that it received and loaded the process catalyst at the Reno facility, which is the final milestone before commercial SAF production begins. This catalyst delivery moves the refinery into its final sequencing phase, with commercial commissioning targeted for early June 2026.
The upgrades at the Reno facility include catalyst replacement, heat exchanger installation, and equipment modifications using licensed Axens technology. These are not cosmetic changes. They are the technical modifications required to switch the refinery output from renewable diesel to sustainable aviation fuel that meets aviation industry specifications. The facility was originally commissioned in February 2025 and has produced more than 2.5 million gallons of renewable fuels since commercial operations began in March 2025. That production history shows the asset works, and the conversion now aims to shift that output toward jet fuel instead of diesel.
XCF Global targets 40–43 million gallons of renewable fuel production capacity. The company is an early-mover large-scale SAF producer in North America, operating under a growing offtake and partnership model. For a microcap company in the energy transition space, moving from buildout to first commercial production is a transformational inflection point. Once the facility produces commercial output, the company shifts from a development-stage cleantech firm to a revenue-generating operation.
The timing matters because aviation decarbonization requires large amounts of low-carbon fuel to reach global net-zero targets, and SAF is one of the few scalable options available today. The CORSIA certification at the Reno facility remains valid, which means XCF can deliver CORSIA-eligible SAF documentation when production resumes. CORSIA is the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and it applies to international aviation routes. This certification is necessary for airlines to count the fuel toward their emissions obligations.
What makes this story different from typical cleantech announcements is that the asset already exists and has produced fuel before. The company is not breaking ground on a greenfield site or waiting for permitting. It is completing upgrades on an operating refinery and loading catalyst to start a new product line. That reduces execution risk compared to building a facility from scratch, even though conversion projects still carry technical and operational challenges.
The key point is that this is real fuel being made at a real refinery, not a conceptual technology. The Reno facility will produce 38 million gallons per year once fully operational, which is large enough to supply meaningful volumes to airlines with offtake agreements. The macro tailwinds from jet fuel prices and federal SAF mandates create a favorable environment for companies that can deliver actual production.
