SAF firm LanzaJet lands investment from Shell

Photo: Shell

Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology company and project developer LanzaJet Inc. has gained multinational oil company Shell as an investor. Shell joins LanzaJet’s founding investors LanzaTech, Suncor Energy Inc., Mitsui & Co. Ltd., and more recently British Airways and All Nippon Airways.

The investment from Shell comes as LanzaJet works to build an alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) SAF production facility in Soperton, Georgia, called Freedom Pines Fuels. Production is anticipated to begin in 2022. The annual production capacity of Freedom Pines Fuels is being scaled at 10 million gallons. The AtJ process uses ethanol as feedstock.

According to LanzaJet, its technology can produce up to 90 percent SAF with the rest as renewable diesel, but it is flexible to produce more renewable diesel and less SAF as needed.

“The strategic fit with LanzaJet is exciting,” said Anna Mascolo, president of Shell Aviation. “Through our Raízen joint venture in Brazil, we have been producing bioethanol for over 10 years, and we have already demonstrated production of cellulosic ethanol from waste materials. Our access to feedstocks, experience of optimizing supply chains and extensive sales and marketing business will hopefully contribute to LanzaJet creating sustainable, robust and scalable commercial operations, supporting our customers’ decarbonization ambitions for many years to come.”

Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO, said, “Shell’s investment and partnership helps to further advance our work to do our part to decarbonize aviation globally, a sector with limited other options in the near- and mid-term.”