Following shortly after a similar offtake deal with US e-SAF startup Twelve, International Airlines Group (IAG), the owner of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL, has announced a 10-year agreement to purchase power-to-liquid aviation fuel, or e-SAF, from California-based Infinium. The volume and value of the deal were not disclosed, but the e-SAF will be produced at the clean-tech company’s Project Roadrunner plant, a former gas-to-liquids facility currently being converted in West Texas. Infinium says the plant will become the world’s biggest e-SAF facility once it is fully operational. The company has backing from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, and in September it raised a potential $1 billion through Brookfield Asset Management towards Roadrunner and the deployment of other e-fuel projects globally. It also has a strategic deal with American Airlines for delivery of commercial volumes starting in 2026.

“Long-term, bankable commitments like these are what drive the ability to ramp up production of e-SAF,” commented Robert Schuetzle, Infinium’s CEO, on the IAG agreement.

IAG claims its airlines used an estimated 12% of global SAF supplies last year. The new deal will enable the company to access Infinium’s e-SAF for any of its five airlines, which collectively operate 582 aircraft to more than 250 destinations in 91 countries.

“So far, we’re on track to deliver our 10% 2030 SAF goal,” said Jonathon Counsell, IAG’s Group Sustainability Officer, “and agreements with innovators like Infinium are key to reaching this target.”    

Aviation’s focus on e-SAF has intensified as global demand for SAF increases dramatically and as the EU prepares to activate a 2% fuel blending mandate for flights from its airports from 1 January. EU mandates will progressively escalate, climbing to 70% by 2050. Other governments, including the UK, are following, initially with mandates varying from 1% to 10% by 2030. Both the UK and EU SAF mandates will add a power-to-liquid requirement from 2028 and 2030 respectively.

Of the Infinium investment secured from Brookfield Asset Management, more than $200 million is earmarked for developments including Project Roadrunner and up to $850 million more for deployment of other Infinium e-fuel projects globally, all subject to pre-agreed metrics.

Breakthrough Energy Catalyst has also committed $75 million in project level equity to Project Roadrunner, its first announced equity investment. Breakthrough pulls together corporate and philanthropic organisations to expedite the use of new technologies by supporting clean technology innovation in commercial-scale projects.

American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier and a partner of multiple IAG airlines in the oneworld marketing alliance, has also entered a strategic partnership with Infinium to secure commercial volumes of e-SAF produced by Project Roadrunner.

Announcing their new deal, IAG and Infinium highlighted the abundance of CO2 either captured at the source of industrial production, extracted from biogenic waste or sucked directly from the atmosphere by giant fans.

“This new class of fuel is not encumbered by feedstock limitations, has a higher degree of emissions reduction versus conventional jet fuel, and has a relatively low land and water use footprint,” said the companies.

IAG’s Counsell urged regulators to focus on measures to encourage decarbonisation of air transport, rather than increase costs for the sector.

“Aviation as an industry is working hard to decarbonise and policy should focus on solutions such as SAF, rather than only increasing costs which risk affecting the competitiveness of the European aviation industry,” he said.  

“What the industry needs is additional policy support to attract funds to construct SAF plants and reduce aviation’s reliance on fossil fuels.”

The IAG-Infinium deal follows the formation of Project SkyPower by a high-profile coalition of European companies including airlines, airports, energy companies and financiers to advocate for development of an e-SAF industry in Europe.  

A report produced by the group in May argued that e-SAF is the most effective, and eventually the most affordable, pathway to low-carbon flight and urged governments to develop policies that reduced investment risk in infrastructure development and fuel production before SAF mandates are activated.

It also estimated that capital investment of €15 billion to €25 billion ($16-27bn) would be needed by 2030, and a further €3 billion to €5 billion annually to achieve the scale needed to meet ever-increasing SAF blending mandates.

“It typically takes five years for an e-SAF project between reaching final investment decision and being operational,” said the report. “Therefore, final investment decisions for e-SAF projects are needed by 2025 to start production by 2030.”

Photo: Infinium’s Project Roadrunner facility in West Texas

Tony Harrington

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Two Californian e-fuel startups, Infinium and Twelve, have received a joint total of up to $1.7 billion in funding and investment to help accelerate production and availability of sustainable aviation fuel. Brookfield Asset Management has committed to invest more than $200 million in Infinium’s Project Roadrunner that is under development in West Texas and up to an additional $850 million for deployment of other Infinium eFuels projects globally, all subject to pre-agreed metrics. This marks Brookfield’s first direct investment in SAF and the investor will also serve as lead in Infinium’s Series C Preferred Stock Offering. Twelve has received $645 million in funding, which includes $400 million in project equity led by TPG Rise Climate, $200 million in Series C financing and an additional $45 million in credit facilities from funders in the renewable energy sector.

Infinium produces eSAF through a proprietary process that combines water, waste CO2 and renewable energy to produce drop-in eSAF as well as eDiesel and eNaphtha. The company recently announced a strategic deal with American Airlines, in which American will purchase commercial volumes of its eSAF starting in 2026 produced by Project Roadrunner.

“Brookfield is a tremendous partner and we are thrilled to secure this additional capital as we scale eSAF production to meet the overwhelming demand from the aviation industry,” said Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle.

“Our Project Pathfinder site was the first to bring commercial volumes of e-fuels to market and Project Roadrunner brings additional volumes to scale global supplies. As our airline partners continue to push for more SAF and decarbonisation options, Infinium remains committed to accelerating production to help meet those demands.”

Brookfield joins existing backer Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, which previously committed $75 million in funding for Project Roadrunner.

“Our investment is structured to provide the capital Infinium needs to accelerate the production of SAF to meet the growing demand from corporate customers while generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for us,” explained Jehangir Vevaina, Managing Partner at Brookfield, which has around $1 trillion of assets under management. “In addition to Roadrunner, Infinium has a large pipeline of well-positioned projects to help meet the demand for the structurally short e-fuels market, and we are looking forward to the opportunity to participate in the development of further e-fuel projects through follow-on investments.”

Infinium claims Project Pathfinder in Corpus Christi, Texas, is the world’s first commercial-scale facility making drop-in ready e-fuels for heavy transportation applications and chemical processes, and is the first in North America to produce e-fuels that have received ISCC PLUS certification. Pathfinder integrates Infinium’s novel fuel production technology using patented catalysts with on-site electrolysers, a state-of-the-art laboratory, logistics and delivery mechanics to produce, validate and distribute e-fuels in what it describes as fewer steps than others in the industry.

The company says it has more than a dozen additional projects under development across the United States, the EU, Japan and Australia.

Meanwhile, funding raised by Twelve will be used towards the completion of the company’s inaugural AirPlant One eSAF facility located in Moses Lake, Washington, which is expected to begin production in 2025. Twelve’s patented technology will be used to produce SAF derived from biogenic CO2, water and renewable energy sources, which achieves claimed lifecycle emissions up to 90% lower than conventional fossil jet fuel. Twelve recently raised $45 million in total loans from two lenders – the first a $25 million construction loan from clean energy investment firm Fundamental Renewables, the other a $20 million green loan from multinational bank SMBC.

TPG Rise Climate, a $7.3 billion climate impact fund, has now committed up to $400 million in project equity financing to support the development of future AirPlants, which will supply Twelve’s E-Jet fuel to customers like Alaska Airlines and IAG, parent company of British Airways.

“We are drawn to companies and founders that have developed and proven unique solutions to complex problems,” said Jonathan Garfinkel, Managing Partner at TPG Rise Climate. “Twelve is a clear leader in CO2 conversion technology, which is a core part of the power-to-liquids technology stack, and the process we believe represents the long-term scalable solution for SAF production.”

TPG is leading Twelve’s $200 million Series C round alongside Capricorn Investment Group and Pulse Fund. A number of new and existing investors participated in the round, including Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund and Alaska Airlines’ investment arm, Alaska Star Ventures.

“We are excited to be a part of this round of forward-looking funders to make a more sustainable future for aviation possible,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, SVP Public Affairs and Sustainability at Alaska Airlines. “Over the last several years we have appreciated getting to know the team at Twelve. Together we are building a multi-level partnership to expand supply, mature the market for SAF and to soon use their E-Jet fuel in our operations.”

Responded Nicholas Flanders, CEO at Twelve: “Our financing strategy has been to build a comprehensive capital stack that enables us to deliver product to customers at scale while continually driving down costs. We’re proud to work with visionary financing partners and collaborators who share our commitment to deploying first of a kind technologies that address climate change at scale.”

Photo: American Airlines expects to purchase commercial volumes of Infinium’s eSAF starting in 2026

Christopher Surgenor

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E-fuels will be featured at Aviation Carbon 2024

Carriers meeting at the annual Airlines for Europe (A4E) Summit in Brussels called on policymakers to “supercharge” the production of sustainable aviation fuels across Europe through the introduction of competitive tax credits and the funding and support for nascent, emerging and established SAF projects or fuel producers. It is crucial that Europe supports affordable and reliable domestic production, they said in a “call to action”, particularly in the face of significant market pressure from global players outside of Europe. Meanwhile, A4E member Lufthansa Group has reported more than one million passengers have opted for its Green Fares tickets, which includes a provision for SAF offsetting, one year after their launch. European renewable fuels producer Neste has started supplies of blended SAF at Schiphol under an agreement with Emirates, while Sasol and Topsoe have launched their new joint venture Zaffra, located in Amsterdam, that will focus on SAF development and delivery.

At the forefront of A4E’s “call to action” is what it describes as “competitive decarbonisation” in a global market, to ensure Europe is a world leader in aviation’s net zero transformation.

“The next few years provide a real opportunity for change and we are setting out how we want to future-proof flying,” said A4E Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou at the opening to the trade body’s Summit in Brussels. “We are today making a pledge to improve the future of flying but can only do this if policymakers make the vital changes to support our decarbonisation efforts, providing real airspace reform, ensuring our sector remains competitive and completing a true single aviation market.”

A4E member airlines have been involved in a number of SAF commitments this month. International Airlines Group (IAG), made up of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and other carriers, signed a 14-year agreement with US startup Twelve for the supply of 785,000 tonnes of e-SAF, the groups biggest single SAF deal to date and the first e-SAF procurement by a European airline group (see article).

Following its purchase of 500 tonnes of SAF from Austrian energy company OMV last year, Ryanair reported it would take an additional 500 tonnes in 2024. Under an MoU between the two companies, Ryanair has access to purchase up to 160,000 tonnes of SAF during the period to 2030.

Another A4E member, AEGEAN, which first flew with SAF in 2021, is to expand its use of SAF under an agreement with Shell and MOH Aviation, who will supply a “significant” quantity of blended SAF at Stockholm Arlanda and London Heathrow airports. The Greek carrier said this marked the beginning of a gradual expansion of its SAF uplift programme, “where available”, throughout its entire network.

According to Lufthansa Group, an average of 3% of passengers have used its Green Fares tickets, with the tickets being selected by 11% of business class travellers via the Lufthansa Group portals. In total, travellers have offset around 77,000 tonnes of CO2. Offsetting of flight CO2 emissions is through SAF as well as by a contribution to high-quality climate protection projects. The group ensures the amount of SAF required for offsetting is fed into the airport infrastructure within six months of purchase.

Green Fares are available with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti on more than 730,000 flights per year within Europe and to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The group has been testing Green Fares on selected long-haul routes since November 2023.

Meanwhile, Finland-headquartered Neste has launched Neste Impact for businesses looking to reduce the carbon footprint of their air travel and transport activities. The solution is aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), enabling businesses to credibly report achieved emission savings and follows a book-and-claim approach. The related emission reduction achieved is third-party verified and further validated through the ISCC SAFc registry. Neste ensures the SAF is supplied to a partner airline and the purchased amount is verifiably used to replace fossil fuel.

UAE carrier Emirates has activated its fuel agreement with Neste at Amsterdam Schiphol and 2 million gallons of blended SAF will be supplied into the airport’s fuelling system over the course of 2024. The blended SAF will comprise over 700,000 gallons of neat SAF. The airline will track the delivery of SAF into the fuelling system and the environmental benefits using standard industry accounting methodologies.

Global chemicals and energy company Sasol and Danish carbon emission reduction technology specialist Topsoe have launched their joint venture, named Zaffra, which will be based in Amsterdam. The partners say the new company, to be headed by former Shell Aviation boss Jan Toschka, aims to advance SAF production and technologies.

Photo © Lufthansa Group

Christopher Surgenor

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European airline conglomerate International Airlines Group (IAG) has signed a 14-year purchase agreement with emerging US-based renewable fuel producer Twelve for the supply of 785,000 tonnes, representing 260 million gallons (984 million litres) of e-SAF, or sustainable aviation fuel produced by converting captured carbon dioxide into low-carbon liquid fuel. Deliveries could start as early as next year from Twelve’s new demonstration plant, which is under construction in the aerospace hub of Moses Lake in the northwest US state of Washington. The Twelve deal is IAG’s biggest single commitment to SAF to date, and the first e-SAF procurement by a European airline group. The fuel will be used to supply IAG’s five airlines – British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and LEVEL – as the group progresses plans to use multiple SAF types to reduce its flight carbon emissions.

“We have a roadmap to achieve net zero by 2050 including a target to fly with 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030,” said IAG CEO Luis Gallego. “The shortage of sustainable fuel globally continues to be a problem for our industry, although innovative companies like Twelve are an important part of the solution.

“This new deal will contribute towards our 2030 SAF target. We would like to see similar projects scale in Europe and we look forward to working with governments across our key markets to build a SAF industry to deliver jobs, economic growth and a stable supply of SAF.”

The new e-SAF deal extends a partnership formed in 2020 when California-based Twelve joined Hangar 51, a start-up accelerator established by IAG which, “dependent on appropriate government policy support”, aims to use 1 million tonnes of SAF per year by 2030 to help fuel its collective fleets, which currently total 582 aircraft.

The companies originally collaborated to commercialise Twelve’s Opus power-to-liquid fuel technology, which is designed to replicate the natural carbon-absorbing process of photosynthesis by combining CO2 with green hydrogen to create synthesis gas, or syngas, which is then to converted to liquid fuel.

Unlike physical feedstocks including waste fats, oils, greases, or solid waste that are used in other SAF production processes, CO2 is in abundant supply, extracted directly from industrial points of emission, biogenic waste or the atmosphere, while green hydrogen is made by using renewable electricity to divide water into hydrogen and oxygen.

IAG, which claims it consumed approximately 12% of global SAF supplies last year, said the new deal with Twelve would secure one-third of the SAF which the airline group needs to achieve its 2030 target, adding that its new fuel would comply with sustainability certification schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) and International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). By 2050, IAG expects SAF to comprise 70% of its total jet fuel content.

“This deal brings the scale-up of e-SAF, produced using power-to-liquid technology, one step closer to reaching its full potential in the aviation industry,” explained the companies.

Nicholas Flanders, co-founder and CEO of Twelve, welcomed the “historic” deal to provide e-SAF to IAG, claiming the fuel would have 90% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel. “Our power-to-liquid E-Jet fuel offers industry-leading emissions reduction potential with the added benefits of an abundant feedstock supply and significantly smaller land and water footprints compared to alternative SAF pathways,” he said.

To sustainably serve its global network of more than 250 destinations in 91 countries, IAG has diversified its decarbonisation strategies through initiatives including continuous investment in new aircraft, fuel efficiency measures, and both purchasing SAF and investing in fuel and technology manufacturers. By 2050 the airline group expects to meet more than 90% of its emission reduction targets without relying on carbon offsets.

Between now and 2030, the five IAG airlines plan to induct 192 new aircraft, collectively valued at €13.5 billion ($14.5bn).

The group has SAF procurement commitments valued at $865 million with providers including UK-based Phillips 66, Neste in Finland and Singapore, US producers LanzaTech and Gevo, and through its membership of the oneworld global airline alliance, British Airways will this year start acquiring SAF from Aemetis at airports in California.

BA has also invested in LanzaJet, which recently began producing alcohol-to-jet SAF at its new Freedom Pines Fuels plant in Soperton, Georgia, and in hydrogen propulsion start-up ZeroAvia, which is progressing the conversions of turboprop aircraft to hydrogen-electric fuel cell powertrains. Additionally, the airline has partnered with Velocys in construction of a waste-to-fuel SAF plant at Immingham, in the UK.

As well, the UK Government’s Advanced Fuels Fund recently granted £9 million to IAG’s Project Speedbird, an ethanol-to-jet fuel collaboration in the UK between British Airways, LanzaJet and Nova Pangaea.

Top photo: IAG

Photo below: Twelve breaks ground on its first E-Jet demo plant at Moses Lake, Washington

Tony Harrington

Correspondent

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After a four-year absence due to the global pandemic, the aerospace industry returned in force to the Paris Air Show, which was marked not just by 1,260-plus orders and options for new aircraft, but also by a flood of product, procurement and partnership deals focused on reducing the sector’s impact on the environment. The event was also thick with news of zero-emission aircraft and propulsion systems, technology breakthroughs promising higher efficiency and lower emissions, and research and development programmes to refine or explore paths to more sustainable aviation. An order by India’s largest airline, IndiGo, for 500 Airbus A320 and 321 neo jets to accommodate huge growth plans beyond 2030, reinforced forecasts that the global commercial fleet will double in size over the next 20 years.

Multiple commitments and technology advances were announced for the evolving electric aviation sector, most with certification and entry-into-service targets between 2025 and 2030. Miami-based AeroLease announced it had signed a letter of intent (LOI) to acquire 50 Eviation Alice electric commuter planes, while Netherlands-based start-up Maeve Aerospace unveiled a revised version of its proposed 44-seat Maeve 01 all-electric aircraft, to be powered with four 1.2 Mw electric motors. Maeve is aiming for certification in 2028 and entry into commercial service in 2030.

French start-up Aura Aero confirmed commitments and collaborations in Europe, the US and Africa for its ERA electric thrust aircraft, which will be offered in passenger and freight configurations. Maltese executive fleet operator Elit’ Avia and French regional carrier Pan Europeene signed LOIs for a combined 12 planes. Additionally, Utah-based freight airline Alpine Air Express signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist Aura Aero in gaining US certification for the ERA and Gabon-based AfriJet signed a MoU, which, while not specifying details, the airline’s CEO, Marc Gaffajoli, described as “for us, the most plausible and mature solution.”

Marseille-based airframer Daher, together with Airbus and Safran, exhibited for the first time their EcoPulse aircraft, a hybrid-electric distributed propulsion testbed, which will rely on a single independent electrical source to power multiple engines. Based on Daher’s TBM aircraft platform, the EcoPulse has six wing-mounted e-propellers provided by Safran, and two power sources – a Safran gas turbine and a battery pack supplied by Airbus. The demonstrator will begin flight testing later this year as part of a programme to define, develop and deliver a hybrid-powered plane to market by 2027.

Another French start-up, Beyond Aero, unveiled its four-passenger BYA-1 hydrogen-electric jet, while the Volt Aero Cassio 330, a 4-5 seat hybrid-electric aircraft, was also displayed ahead of its first flight in the coming weeks.

US-based electric powertrain developer MagniX said it would soon start converting a De Havilland Dash 7 aircraft into a zero-emission testbed, replacing two of its four Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A engines with new MagniX 650 electric motors, and a pair of 450kwH battery packs. Another electric propulsion developer, Wright Electric, announced that ground trials of its new aerospace motor-generator had delivered 1 Megawatt (1,300 horsepower) of energy, enabling it to be used as a turbogenerator or auxiliary power unit for high altitude commercial or defence applications.

Airbus announced a research and development partnership with Geneva-based STMicroelectronics to explore the development of lighter, more efficient power electronics required for future hybrid-powered aircraft and all-electric air taxis. They will focus on wide bandgap Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride semiconductor materials, which have better electrical properties than conventional conductors such as silicon.

Rolls–Royce revealed it was ready to test its first small gas turbine, developed as a turbogenerator system for novel propulsion aircraft including electric air taxis, and hybrid-electric commuter planes seating up to 19 passengers. Additionally, regional jet maker Embraer announced a joint venture with Japanese electric motor manufacturer NIDEC to develop propulsion systems for eVTOL aircraft, with Embraer’s air taxi division Eve Air Mobility the launch customer.

Hydrogen propulsion developer ZeroAvia announced multiple deals, the largest of them an agreement to deliver 250 hydrogen-electric ZA2000 engines for 40-80 seat turboprop conversions to California-based Flyshare, which will launch a new airline, Air Cahana, on the west coast. UK-based lessor Monte also firmed a previously-provisional order for 100 ZA 600 powertrains for 9-19 seat aircraft, while French lessor Green Aerolease signed an MoU to acquire an unspecified number of ZA 600 units.

ZeroAvia also revealed that in tests with MHIRJ, the type certificate holder for CRJ regional jets, “clear applications” had been identified to retrofit regional jet aircraft with hydrogen-electric propulsion systems. The initial aircraft suitable for conversion to ZeroAvia’s proposed ZA 2000RJ powertrain would be a CRJ 700 aircraft, though the technical study also validated conversions of other in-service CRJ-series jets, including the CRJ 500 and 990 models.

Another zero-emission start-up, Sydney-based Dovetail Electric Aviation, announced a partnership with HTWO, the hydrogen power division of Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, to test a hydrogen-electric powertrain for regional aircraft, with a view to commencing test flights as early as next year.

Deutsche Aircraft revealed the first metal was being cut for the prototype of its 40-seat D328eco regional airliner, a 100% SAF-compatible turboprop, which is scheduled for its first flight in 2025 and targeting entry into service by 2026, while at the opposite end of the scale US-based Jet Zero revealed its Z4 blended wing concept, targeted as a replacement for mid-market aircraft including the Boeing 767 and 787-8, with fuel burn savings of up to 50%.

The Airbus research arm UpNext announced a new test programme to investigate the replacement of a fossil-fuelled auxiliary power unit with a hydrogen fuel cell system to power non-propulsive aircraft functions including air conditioning, cabin lighting and avionics. An A330-200 jet will be retrofitted for the programme, taking to the air by late 2025.

Airbus also signed a MoU with US-based SAF producer LanzaJet to advance the construction of facilities to produce sustainable aviation fuel using LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology, while global energy company Sasol and Topsoe, a specialist in carbon reduction technologies, agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture to develop, build, own and operate new SAF plants, and market renewable fuels. E-fuel producer Twelve also used the Paris show to announce plans for SAF production from CO2 and renewable energy at a new plant to be built in the US state of Washington.

United Airlines Ventures revealed that another seven to eight partners would join its Sustainable Flight Fund within the next two months, and foreshadowed investment in new SAF offtake deals as producers built renewable fuel capacity.

On the eve of the Paris Air Show, seven chief technology officers from major aviation manufacturers released a statement committing to “supporting policies that increase the supply of SAF while ensuring a consistent and predictable demand through harmonised global measures.”

The CTOs of Airbus, Boeing, Dassault Aviation, GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce and Safran added: “We are unified in the proposition that our industry has a prosperous and more sustainable future, and that we can make it happen through the near-term implementation of lasting industry-wide and globalised harmonised policies.”

Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Aura Aero display at the Paris Air Show

Alaska Airlines is partnering with Microsoft Corporation and carbon technology company Twelve to progress the development of power-to-liquid (PtL) fuels, through which carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere is converted with renewable energy to create sustainable aviation fuel. The three companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will lead to the first commercial demonstration flight in the US using Twelve’s E-Jet low carbon fuel, followed by Alaska’s use of the fuel to part-power some of Microsoft’s business travel on the airline to help recompense its emissions. Alaska Airlines has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2040, 10 years ahead of the airline industry’s generally-agreed commitment to 2050, and has purchased and promoted SAF for more than a decade, while Microsoft is also an investor in Twelve through the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, reports Tony Harrington. Meanwhile, two European airlines, Aer Lingus and Aegean, have announced SAF deals.

Diana Birkett Rakow, SVP Public Affairs and Sustainability for Alaska Airlines, said the carrier’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2040 relied upon procuring SAF, including Twelve’s E-Jet product. “We are committed to making SAF more widely available, at an affordable price, helping bring new alternatives to market, and using these fuels in our operation, a path that requires public policy action and private partnerships like this one,” she said. “We’re excited to work with Twelve and Microsoft to advance Twelve’s E-Jet fuel, turning captured CO2 and renewable energy into fuel for our airplanes.”

The airline said that since 2010, it had worked with a range of public and private partners “to advance public policies needed to jumpstart the nascent SAF market, create new offtake agreements and cultivate partnerships to accelerate market development,” and was a founding member of the Aviators Group of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Buyers Alliance (SABA), which was announced at last year’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. Alaska Airlines has also participated in Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator programme to test 100% SAF in one engine of a Boeing 737 jet, partnered with SAF provider SkyNRG to progress development of fuel from recycled municipal waste and is a participant in two US-based SAF procurement deals by the oneworld alliance, of which it is a member. Beyond SAF, it has partnered with ZeroAvia to help develop a hybrid-electric powertrain for regional airliners.

Twelve’s E-Jet fuel is created through the use of an electrochemical reactor and a proprietary catalyst, which replicate the natural process of photosynthesis at industrial scale by electrifying CO2 and water to produce carbon neutral fuel. “By producing our drop-in E-Jet fuel from captured CO2 we can rapidly and efficiently close the carbon cycle and allow businesses to sustainably use emissions to power their own business travel,” said Nicholas Flanders, CEO and Co-founder of Twelve. “Partnering with progress-minded brands like Alaska Airlines and Microsoft adds thrust as we work towards delivering industrial-scale volumes of E-Jet.” The company said the fuel had already been tested and qualified by the US Air Force.

In March this year, the Canadian e-commerce group Shopify, which is also one of the largest corporate investors in long-term carbon removal, announced its Sustainability Fund had made the first purchase of Twelve’s E-Jet fuel. “Purchasing carbon removal from leading companies is critical to helping them scale, but purchasing from emerging companies pursuing novel approaches is equally essential,” said Stacy Kauk, Shopify’s Head of Sustainability. As well as helping to accelerate carbon removal solutions, she added, such investments also provided recipient businesses with a strong revenue stream and helped them to secure financing for their programmes.   

Elizabeth Willmott, Carbon Programme Director at Microsoft, said addressing emissions from hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation needed commitment from all stakeholders. “Building on our Climate Innovation Fund investment in Twelve and relationship with Alaska Airlines, this collaboration provides an opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation in the aviation industry by exploring how to use low carbon fuels produced by renewable electricity, like Twelve’s E-Jet.”

While Alaska Airlines expands its extensive SAF programme to include PtL, two European airlines, Aer Lingus and Aegean, have both announced new agreements to purchase SAF in line with their commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Aer Lingus, a member of International Airlines Group (IAG), has just signed an agreement to purchase 19,000 tonnes per year of SAF for five years from US-based renewable fuels company Gevo, commencing in 2026. The fuel will be used by the airline to help power its flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco, and from 2026 will represent 50% of the fuel purchased by Aer Lingus in California.

IAG, which also includes British Airways, Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling, Air Nostrum and LEVEL, has already committed to a target of net zero emissions by 2050, and to powering 10% of its flights with SAF by 2030. Aer Lingus said its deal with Gevo would provide enough SAF to cut lifecycle CO2 emissions by at least 180,000 tonnes, equivalent to 1,000 net zero CO2 flights with widebody Airbus A330 jets between Dublin and Los Angeles.

In Greece, Aegean has announced its first SAF deal, a partnership with Hellenic Petroleum to use a blended product to operate flights on domestic and international routes, beginning with departures from its hub at Thessaloniki Airport, to be followed soon after by services from Athens International Airport. Timing of the programmes was not revealed.

Photo: Alaska Airlines