11 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel demonstrate how Phillips 66’s integrated model and Illinois policy can move lower-carbon aviation from ambition to execution
Phillips 66, United Airlines®, Microsoft® and Illinois leaders gathered Oct. 5, 2026, at the Wood River Refinery to highlight a transaction that delivered 11 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to United Airlines and the role Illinois’ Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit played in supporting the effort.
This transaction is expected to reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 100,000 metric tons compared with conventional jet fuel.
Why it matters
The event demonstrated the power of a supportive policy environment to enable measurable progress, economic opportunity and continued investment.
In his remarks, Brian Mandell, executive vice president of marketing and commercial at Phillips 66, described three forces behind the outcome:
- Customer focus that creates demand.
- Phillips 66’s integrated capabilities.
- Policy leadership that helps turn ambition into execution.
How it worked
Mandell showed how each part of the Phillips 66 system played a role:
- Commercial sourced renewable feedstock through its global network.
- The Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex converted the feedstock into SAF, which was transported to Illinois.
- The Hartford Terminal in Illinois blended the SAF with Wood River’s conventional jet fuel.
- The finished fuel then moved to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where Phillips 66 aviation supplies customers.
“That is integration in action: the full strength of our people, assets and capabilities working together to move energy from feedstock to flight,” Mandell said.
The molecule and the math
Mandell emphasized that in addition to bringing fuel to the SAF market, Phillips 66’s capabilities extend to the environmental accounting customers need to support credible emissions reporting.
“Backed by nearly 100 years of industry experience, our aviation team connected the finished fuel with our customers and the infrastructure that keeps aviation moving, while ensuring the life-cycle emissions benefits were measured, verified and documented,” he said.
Illinois’ Sustainable Aviation Fuel Credit, signed into law in 2023, helps close the cost gap for SAF, making it more economically viable for companies to purchase and use.
What good looks like
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker connected the policy to investment, saying, “We are here today as a result of the investment that this state made in making it possible.” He added that the credit “helps to close the cost gap and make it economically viable for companies to purchase and use SAF today.”
Supporting Gov. Pritzker’s position, Lauren Riley, chief sustainability officer at United Airlines, said the Invest in Illinois Act “helped enable what is the single largest SAF purchase by a customer in United’s 100-year history.”
Tyler Clark, senior director of government affairs at Microsoft, added the state’s SAF purchase credit “creates a pathway for innovation by helping demand and supply grow together.”
Illinois as a model for other states
Mandell explained how durable policy for all forms of energy can give producers confidence to invest and customers confidence to move forward.
“Illinois is showing what happens when policymakers, industry and customers move in the same direction. Together, we can advance solutions, strengthen infrastructure, create workforce opportunities and support America’s energy leadership.”
A century of powering aviation
As Phillips 66 aviation prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027, the Wood River event offered a glimpse of what comes next: solutions and innovations made possible when policy, industry and customers move in the same direction.
Watch Forbes Breaking News coverage of the event.
Learn more about Aviation at Phillips 66 and our approach to alternative energy solutions, sustainability and environmental stewardship.
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