LanzaJet has begun commercial production at its Freedom Pines Fuels plant in Soperton, Georgia, becoming the first company to convert ethanol into jet fuel at commercial scale. The facility can produce up to 10 million gallons of fuel per year, of which 9 million gallons are sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and 1 million gallons are renewable diesel.
The achievement validates LanzaJet’s Alcohol‑to‑Jet (ATJ) technology and demonstrates that ethanol can serve as a viable feedstock without relying on lipids or oils. By opening a large, domestic market for renewable jet fuel, the plant provides airlines with a new low‑carbon pathway to meet SAF mandates and reduces dependence on traditional HEFA‑based fuels.
For LanzaTech Global, the operational launch expands the company’s value chain beyond licensing. By capturing revenue from fuel production, LanzaTech strengthens its competitive position and gains a larger share of the growing SAF market. The project is backed by major investors and partners—including Shell, Airbus, the U.S. Department of Energy, All Nippon Airways, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, Groupe ADP, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund, MUFG, and Southwest Airlines—underscoring broad confidence in the technology.
"Today proves what happens when you bring together innovation, resilience, ingenuity, and teamwork to think big and develop a new industry," said Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of LanzaJet. "This is an important milestone for LanzaJet and our investors, and it’s a major win for global aviation—perhaps serving as a beacon of hope for the future." Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech and Chair of LanzaJet, added, "Investing in a first‑of‑its‑kind facility is about more than technology—it’s about unlocking new market opportunities. By proving that ethanol can be converted into jet fuel and diesel at scale, we’ve opened a pathway to capture a meaningful share of the aviation sector’s billions‑of‑dollars market."
LanzaJet plans to replicate the Freedom Pines model at additional sites, targeting locations in the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and Australia. The expansion aligns with LanzaTech’s strategy to partner with infrastructure capital providers and accelerate deployment of similar projects worldwide, positioning the company as a leader in the circular carbon economy.
The commercial launch comes at a time of heightened demand for SAF, driven by regulatory mandates such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Fuel Production Credit and the FAA’s SAF Grand Challenge, which aims for 3 billion gallons of SAF annually by 2030. By providing a scalable, domestic feedstock pathway, LanzaJet’s facility helps airlines meet these targets while reducing reliance on imported feedstocks.
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