LanzaJet Celebrates Grand Opening of Freedom Pines Fuels Plant, the World's First Ethanol to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production Facility Government, Corporate, and Community

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January 24, 2024

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(LanzaJet/PR Newswire) Leaders Mark Historic Milestone as LanzaJet Launches Ground-breaking Next-Gen SAF Technology -- LanzaJet, a leading sustainable fuels technology company and sustainable fuels producer, today joined government officials, industry leaders, partners, and supporters to open LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels, the world's first ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility.

LanzaJet's technology is recognized as the pioneering ethanol to SAF production process and pathway. This ethanol-based technology is the world's first viable next-generation SAF technology capable of scaling production to the levels needed to decarbonize aviation through widely available and sustainable feedstock, emerging commercial waste-based feedstock solutions, and promising economic conditions.

Located in Soperton, Georgia, LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels represents one of the most promising SAF technologies in nearly a decade to reach commercial readiness, and will produce 10 million gallons of SAF and renewable diesel per year from low carbon, sustainable, and certified ethanol which meets U.S. and global standards. LanzaJet's technology enables current and future supply volume to support a scaled SAF industry as well as the White House's SAF Grand Challenge, which calls for a supply of at least 3 billion gallons of SAF annually by 2030 to tangibly reduce aviation emissions. With its proprietary ethanol to SAF technology, LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels serves as a blueprint for utilizing first-of-its-kind innovation to scale SAF production and combat the worsening climate crisis.

LanzaJet's Freedom Pines Fuels plant represents the culmination of a history of firsts within the SAF industry, dating back to its origin in 2010 as the first ethanol to SAF technology to have derived in collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL). The technology's first commercial flights were completed with Virgin Atlantic and All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

"Today is testament to the conviction required by industry, government, and funders to advance innovation and stretch the boundaries of what is achievable to address decarbonization and tackle climate change. This is a historic milestone in a long history of firsts for LanzaJet, the United States, and the SAF industry globally," said LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis. "Our novel LanzaJet ethanol to SAF process technology is now deployed at our commercial plant in Georgia which will convert ethanol into drop-in SAF. As we start-up the plant, we will continue to refine our technology, while launching our efforts to advance new sustainable fuels projects globally. Between feedstock versatility, efficiency, and economics that enable scale in the US and globally, we stand ready to meet aviation's decarbonization goals established at the United Nations and country ambitions, such as the U.S. SAF Grand Challenge."

LanzaJet was joined at Wednesday's event by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk, Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, Treutlen County Commissioner Phil Jennings, and Soperton Mayor John Koon.

"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 such as LanzaJet corner the market of a valuable, emerging industry, while revitalizing rural communities like Soperton with agriculture front and center in the effort. LanzaJet's facility will help accelerate the SAF industry and provide new economic opportunities for producers for a more sustainable future."

Additionally, the opening of Freedom Pines Fuels also featured LanzaJet shareholders International Airlines Group (IAG), LanzaTech, Mitsui & Co, Shell, and Suncor Energy and investors such as the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy, British Airways, and All Nippon Airways (ANA).

"LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels is proof of the energy transition accelerating in real time," said Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaJet Board Director and Chief Executive of LanzaTech. "We are demonstrating the ability to establish secure supply chains domestically, create new jobs locally, and produce sustainable aviation fuel globally. This historic facility is an important pillar of a growing SAF economy in the United States and is a significant decarbonization milestone in the world."

The SAF produced by LanzaJet in Soperton, Georgia will be used immediately as drop-in fuel for existing aircraft in an aviation industry, which contributes two to three percent of all global greenhouse gas emissions from humans. The technology used at LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 70 percent and produced from a variety of sustainable feedstocks, such as agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, energy crops, carbon captured from industrial processes, and more.

LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels is fully funded and has committed offtake agreements for all fuel produced in the next 10 years. Located in Treutlen County, Georgia and less than 100 miles from Savannah, the facility will have created more than 250 total jobs and generate an estimated $70 million in annual economic activity for the local economy.

ABOUT LANZAJET

LanzaJet is a leading sustainable fuels technology company dedicated to accelerating the clean energy transition. As a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology provider and producer with patented ethanol-based alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) technology, LanzaJet is creating an opportunity for future generations by accelerating the deployment of SAF and other clean technologies critical to addressing the climate crisis and transforming the global economy. Further information is available at https://www.lanzajet.com/ READ MORE

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Excerpt from Biofuels International: This is the Australian company’s primary reference plant for its flagship Project Ulysses Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in North Queensland, Australia.

...

The commencement of full operations at the Freedom Pines Fuels Plant represents a significant de-risking event for Jet Zero Australia’s Ulysses Project, which is targeting the use of LanzaJet’s patented AtJ production technology to develop a project three times larger, producing 102 million litres per year of SAF and 11 million litres per annum of renewable diesel.
Project Ulysses intends to transform agricultural by-products taken from sustainable sources into biofuel that has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in Australia’s commercial aviation sector, on a net lifecycle basis, by approximately 70% versus traditional fossil-based jet fuel.

Jet Zero Australia anticipates that information collected from the Freedom Pines Fuels Plant over the course of six months of operations will be integrated into the Ulysses Project’s Front End Engineering and Design (FEED), both expediting Project Ulysses’ delivery and further reducing technical risks associated with the ATJ process.

Jet Zero CEO Ed Mason said: “It is great to celebrate this key event for LanzaJet in Soperton, Georgia. Jet Zero appreciates how much hard work has gone into reaching this milestone over many years from LanzaJet’s team, their project partners, and the US Department of Energy.

“Jet Zero’s technical team is working with LanzaJet to closely integrate the lessons from Freedom Pines’s operations into the Ulysses SAF Project in North Queensland.” READ MORE

Excerpt from Ethanol Producer Magazine: LanzaTech Global Inc. on May 9 announced that that LanzaJet’s 10 MMgy ethanol-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Soperton, Georgia, in on track to begin producing fuel during the second quarter. LanzaJet celebrated the grand opening and mechanical completion of the Freedom Pines Fuels facility in January.

LanzaTech addressed the ethanol-to-SAF project in its first quarter earnings release, issued May 9. According to the company, its ethanol will be a critical feedstock for SAF. When coupled with LanzaJet’s technology, LanzaTech’s ethanol enables production of SAF from a variety of waste inputs and residues, including municipal solid waste (MSW) and e-fuels.

“The robust growth in LanzaJet and the SAF market more broadly mirrors the rising demand for our waste-based ethanol, reflecting the expansion and impact of our commercial project pipeline, as well as the growing focus on and adoption of alternative aviation fuels,” said Jennifer Holmgren, board chair and CEO of LanzaTech in a statement. “We're laying the groundwork for the emerging carbon economy, supported by our steadfast commitment and clear financial path forward, ensuring our efforts today shape a sustainable, deliberate future.”

LanzaTech also provided an updated of its project development pipeline, noting that the company added nine new net qualified project opportunities into the first phase and one net addition into the advanced engineering phase of its project pipeline during the first quarter of this year. The company also said it continues to expect that several projects currently in advanced engineering will achieve final investment decision (FID) and move into the construction phase during the second half of this year.

According to LanzaTech, the company continues to make progress towards full production capacity at IndianOil Corp.’s facility in India and ArcelorMittal’s facility in Belgium. The current total installed nameplate production capacity across the company’s licensee’s operating fleet of six commercial projects is approximately 310,000 tons of ethanol per year. READ MORE

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