LanzaJet opens SAF production facility in Georgia

LanzaJet, Deerfield, Illinois, has announced the opening of LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels, an ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility.

Located in Soperton, Georgia, the facility will reportedly produce 10 million gallons of SAF and renewable diesel per year from certified ethanol, creating more than 250 jobs.

LanzaJet says its technology enables current and future supply volume to support a scaled SAF industry as well as the Department of Energy’s (DOE) SAF Grand Challenge, which calls for the yearly production of 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030.

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“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,” LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartzis says. “This is a historic milestone in a long history of firsts for LanzaJet, the United States and the SAF industry globally.”

The company held an opening ceremony to celebrate the launch of the facility and was joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk, Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tom Echols, Treutlen County Commissioner Phil Jennings and Soperton Mayor John Koon.

“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,” Vilsack says. “LanzaJet’s facility will help accelerate the SAF industry and provide new economic opportunities for producers for a more sustainable future.”

According to LanzaJet, the SAF from the facility will be produced from a variety of feedstocks, including agricultural waste, municipal solid waste and carbon captured from industrial processes. Examples of LanzaJet feedstocks at Freedom Pines Fuels will include domestic ethanol from the Midwest and sugarcane from Brazil, the company says.  

LanzaJet has not disclosed its feedstock or offtake agreements, but says it has agreements in place for the SAF produced at the facility for the next 10 years.

*This article was edited Jan. 29 to remove the statement that LanzaJet is a subsidiary of LanzaTech. LanzaJet was founded by LanzaTech, Suncor and Mitsui, but it is not a subsidiary.