Twelve, Etihad Airways partner to advance E-Jet®-branded sustainable aviation fuel

Photo: Etihad Airways

Twelve and Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, announced May 11 a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on advancing E-Jet® fuel, Twelve’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from CO2 and renewable energy.

The companies also plan to work towards an international demonstration flight and a supply roadmap that supports Etihad’s sustainability strategy.

Northstar.vc, a boutique investment firm specializing in supply-chain technology and fintech, facilitated the partnership discussions.

Twelve and Etihad will work to accelerate production and use of Twelve’s E-Jet fuel, a low-carbon jet fuel (eSAF) produced by a power-to-liquids process leveraging the company’s carbon-transformation technology.

As part of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate on a supply roadmap that helps meet growing demand for SAF for the Etihad network and on expanding the footprint of SAF in the global market.

“We are honored to partner with Etihad to work toward a supply of drop-in jet fuel made from air, not oil,” said Twelve co-founder and CEO Nicholas Flanders. “Our E-Jet fuel allows airlines like Etihad to reduce emissions by up to 90 percent with their existing aircraft fleet, which will be critical to achieving the United Nations’ 2050 net-zero emissions target in aviation.”

Mohammad Al Bulooki, chief operating officer at Etihad Airways, added, “Etihad Airways is working hard on its sustainability strategy and deploying a range of initiatives across the spectrum of sustainability to achieve that. Collaborating with sustainable aviation fuel makers like Twelve, to advance products like E-Jet fuel, is an important part of that drive.”

Tested and validated by the U.S. Air Force, Twelve’s E-Jet fuel is produced using its carbon-transformation technology, which uses only renewable energy and water to transform CO2 into critical chemicals and materials conventionally made from fossil fuels, and in partnership with Emerging Fuels Technology.

With up to 90 percent lower lifecycle emissions compared to conventional fossil-based fuels, E-Jet fuel is a drop-in synthetic fuel that works seamlessly with existing aircraft and faces no constraints on feedstock, offering a viable long-term solution to address emissions in the aviation industry.

Transitioning to E-Jet fuel not only reduces reliance on fossil fuels, but also reduces particulate emissions from aviation and decreases impacts on neighboring communities.

“We drive meaningful change towards decarbonizing global supply chains and support the aviation industry in its journey towards a more sustainable future,” said Amir Karimpour, managing partner at northstar.vc.

“Echoing our ethos of being a strategic value-add investor, we are thrilled to foster the partnership between Etihad Airways and Twelve,” said Erol Suesler, partner at northstar.vc.

Last July, Twelve announced a collaboration with Alaska Airlines and Microsoft to advance production and use of E-Jet fuel, and to work towards a U.S. commercial demonstration flight utilizing its E-Jet fuel.

In March 2022, Shopify, one of the largest corporate purchasers of long-term carbon removal, announced the first purchase of E-Jet fuel through the company’s Sustainability Fund.