A breath of fresh air…

A glimmer of hope this week, and a celebration of innovation and science which will increasingly benefit the aviation world, all going well: Congratulations go to the sustainable fuels technology company, LanzaJet, which opened the world’s first ethanol-based SAF plant over in the U.S. on 24JAN24.

A tangible first step for a better future. Image: LanzaJet

If ethanol-SAF literally takes off, the world can look forward to fresher air in future. The name of the world’s first ethanol-SAF production facility also incites thoughts of air fresheners: Freedom Pines Fuels Plant. An historic moment on 24JAN24, and one that is hopefully a solid foundation on which to build an adequate production network. As Haldane Dodd, Executive Director, Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), pointed out: “We will need around 23 Mt of SAF production capacity by 2030 and almost 500 Mt by 2050. Every production facility that opens – such as LanzaJet’s Freedom Pines plant – helps us get closer to those objectives,” if the industry is to meet its Net Zero goals by 2050.

Not just SAF production, but also jobs and revenue
LanzaJet’s Freedom Pines Fuels production plant, the first in the world to generate alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) SAF using low-carbon-intensity ethanol, will start producing 10 million gallons of SAF and renewable diesel per annum, for the United States. Used as drop-in fuel for existing aircraft in an aviation industry, this particular SAF is capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70% and is produced from a variety of sustainable feedstocks including agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, energy crops, or carbon captured from industrial processes, for example.

The plant is fully funded and has committed offtake agreements for all fuel produced in the next 10 years. The plant in Treutlen County, Georgia, will also employ more than 250 staff and is estimated to annually generate around USD 70 million for the local economy.

Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaJet Board Director and Chief Executive Officer, LanzaTech, commented: “LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels is proof of the energy transition accelerating in real time. We are demonstrating the ability to establish secure supply chains domestically, create new jobs locally, and produce sustainable aviation fuel globally. This historic facility is an important pillar of a growing SAF economy in the United States and is a significant decarbonization milestone in the world.”

Tried and tested
LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels plant represents the culmination of a history of firsts within the SAF industry, dating back to its origin in 2010 as the first ethanol to SAF technology to have derived in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL). The technology’s first commercial flights were completed with Virgin Atlantic and All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2018 and 2019, respectively,” the press release points out.

British Airways and IAG Cargo have a keen interest in the LanzaJet’s pioneering ethanol to SAF technology, as Luis Gallego, CEO, International Airlines Group (IAG), expressed: “The LanzaJet ethanol-to-jet fuel plant in the US is a demonstration of how government support and investment in green technologies can help make aviation more sustainable. At IAG, we look forward to bringing LanzaJet’s technology to the UK, with Nova Pangaea, to help the UK meet its target of five Sustainable Aviation Fuel plants in construction by 2025.”

Sean Doyle, Chairman and CEO, British Airways, urging speed in implementation, added: “SAF will play a critical role in meeting our net zero targets and especially in reducing aviation’s emissions this decade. It is the only viable solution for long-haul flights. […] This project acts as the blueprint for using this innovative technology right here in the UK, starting with Project Speedbird, and shows how quickly the US is moving ahead. We must continue to work with the UK Government to encourage investors to put money into SAF production and meet its own targets of having five commercial-scale SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025. The Government has already started on this journey, and we welcome this, but what we need now is pace.”

A grand opening ceremony
Government officials, shareholders International Airlines Group (IAG), LanzaTech, Mitsui & Co, Shell, and Suncor Energy, and a number of investors including the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, and All Nippon Airways (ANA), attended the opening ceremony on 24JAN24. LanzaJet’s CEO, Jimmy Samartzis, announced: “Today is testament to the conviction required by industry, government, and funders to advance innovation and stretch the boundaries of what is achievable to address decarbonization and tackle climate change. This is a historic milestone in a long history of firsts for LanzaJet, the United States, and the SAF industry globally Our novel LanzaJet ethanol to SAF process technology is now deployed at our commercial plant in Georgia which will convert ethanol into drop-in SAF. As we start-up the plant, we will continue to refine our technology, while launching our efforts to advance new sustainable fuels projects globally. Between feedstock versatility, efficiency, and economics that enable scale in the US and globally, we stand ready to meet aviation’s decarbonization goals established at the United Nations and country ambitions, such as the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge.

Sir David King, LanzaJet Board Director, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Former UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (2000−2007), summarized the historic moment: “LanzaJet is serious about urgently meeting the moment to decarbonize aviation and Freedom Pines Fuels is evidence of that. This facility will use innovative ethanol-to-jet technology and substantially increase the amount of SAF produced for the world’s airlines and aviation industry. In large part due to projects such as this one, we are making real climate progress in aviation.”

A positive step at the start of what will hopefully be a more positive year for SAF and the aviation industry.

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