Government officials and industry leaders Georgia witnessed sustainable aviation fuel producer LanzaJet opening the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF refinery.
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Government officials and industry leaders were on hand today in Soperton, Georgia, as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) innovator and producer LanzaJet opened the world’s first commercial ethanol-to-SAF refinery.
The Freedom Pines facility—under construction since 2022—represents the first viable next-generation SAF technology capable of scaling production to the levels needed to help aviation decarbonize. It will utilize a variety of sustainable feedstocks including agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, energy crops, and captured carbon from industrial processes. At full capacity, it will produce 10 million gallons of SAF or renewable diesel a year, and through offtake agreements, its entire output is already committed for the next decade.
"LanzaJet Freedom Pines is proof of the energy transition accelerating in real time," stated Jennifer Holmgren, the company's board director and CEO of LanzaTech—which developed its ethanol-to-SAF technology. "We are demonstrating the ability to establish secure supply chains domestically, create new jobs locally, and produce sustainable aviation fuels globally."
Also in attendance at today's ribbon cutting were company shareholders International Airlines Group, Mitsui & Co., Shell, and Suncor Energy, along with investors such as the Microsoft Climate Innovation fund, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, and All Nippon Airways.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to harnessing the full potential of SAF as we continue to build a strong economy that is sustainable, resilient, competitive, and keeps rural places thriving,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “As we transition to SAF, this will not only create new climate-smart commodity markets for American producers, but it will also help American companies like LanzaJet corner the market of a valuable, emerging industry while revitalizing rural communities like Soperton with agriculture front and center in the effort.”
LanzaJet Debuts World's First Ethanol-to-SAF Facility
Newsletter Body
Government officials and industry leaders were on hand today in Soperton, Georgia, as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) innovator and producer LanzaJet opened the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF refinery.
The Freedom Pines facility—under construction since 2022—represents the first viable next-generation SAF technology capable of scaling production to the levels needed to help aviation decarbonize. It will use a variety of sustainable feedstocks, including agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, energy crops, and captured carbon from industrial processes. At full capacity, it will produce 10 million gallons of SAF or renewable diesel a year. Through offtake agreements, its entire output is already committed for the next decade.
In attendance at today's ribbon cutting were company shareholders International Airlines Group, Mitsui & Co., Shell, and Suncor Energy, along with investors such as the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, and All Nippon Airways.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to harnessing the full potential of SAF as we continue to build a strong economy that is sustainable, resilient, competitive, and keeps rural places thriving,” said U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “As we transition to SAF, this will not only create new climate smart commodity markets for American producers, but it will also help American companies like LanzaJet corner the market of a valuable, emerging industry, while revitalizing rural communities like Soperton with agriculture front and center in the effort.”