This article originally ran on Saint Louis Public Radio on December 19, 2024.
A clean energy company has selected southwest Illinois for its new $820 million sustainable aviation fuel plant — but it’s not exactly clear where yet.
Avina Clean Hydrogen, a New Jersey-based company, will build a facility that employs at least 150 people, according to Gov. JB Pritzker’s office and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
The southwest Illinois region includes nine counties — Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington — near the Missouri border, according to the commerce department.
As part of the deal to build the $820 million plant, Avina will receive incentives from the state, which include a tax credit called the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles.
That agreement between the state and company, dated June 13, lists an East St. Louis address as the location. The Illinois Department of Transportation obtained the same parcel in 2016, according to St. Clair County property records.
The company is still finalizing the location, which is why state officials can’t say more about where the plant will be built, the governor’s office said.
Representatives from the company, state and East St. Louis could not be immediately reached for comment.
