Lanzajet, Kazmunaygas announce Kazakhstan’s 1st SAF project passes major milestone

LanzaJet Inc. announced Sept. 23 that CEO Jimmy Samartzis spoke in front of an audience that included both Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan, and Askhat Khasenov, chairman and CEO of the country’s national oil-and-gas company Kazmunaygas (KMG).  

As part of New York Climate week, LanzaJet and KMG have signed an agreement to advance the country’s first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project and a first for LanzaJet in deploying its leading alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology in the region.  

KMG and LanzaJet recently completed a joint feasibility study and have agreed to move to the next phase of project development—front-end engineering and design (FEED), during which all technical and economic solutions for construction of the plant will be finalized.  

“Kazakhstan is the type of market that creates incredible potential across industries—agriculture, logistics, oil and gas, and aviation,” Samartzis said. “Our collaboration at LanzaJet with KMG sets in motion regional leadership to advance lower-carbon flight and decarbonization of aviation, economic development for the country and energy security for the region.”  

Khassenov added, “This collaboration represents a significant contribution to strengthening bilateral cooperation and will support our low-carbon development goals and the deployment of cutting-edge technologies. Overall, the project will positively impact the development of the biofuels market, improve the environmental performance of the aviation sector and enhance Kazakhstan’s transit potential.”  

The next phase of the project is set to get underway immediately following the signing of the agreement.  

The project is expected to support the anticipated SAF demand in Kazakhstan that is likely to hit 70,000 metric tons annually by 2030.