Microsoft is investing $50 million in a LanzaJet facility in Georgia that will produce jet fuel from ethanol next year, LanzaJet said on Jan. 13.
The airline industry is considered one of the hardest to decarbonize. Renewable aviation fuel accounted for less than 0.1% of current global jet fuel demand of about 330 million tonnes in 2019, investment bank Jefferies said last year. Governments and investors are trying to boost incentives to produce lower-carbon emitting jet fuel.
LanzaJet, based in Chicago, said it has nearly completed on-site engineering at its Freedom Pines Fuels Biorefinery, with plans to start producing 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel per year from sustainable ethanol, including from waste-based feedstocks, in 2023.
Oil majors, airlines and other petroleum trading companies including Suncor Energy Inc., British Airways and Shell are also funding the company.
The White House said last year that it wants to lower aviation emissions by 20% by 2030, as airlines face pressure from environmental groups to lower their carbon footprint.
The Biden Administration has touted tax credits for production of sustainable jet fuel as part of its Build Back Better legislation, which is currently stalled in Congress.
The European Union is aiming to increase the amount of SAF blended in petroleum jet fuel to 63% by 2050.
Microsoft created the Climate Innovation Fund in 2020 to invest $1 billion over the next four years to speed up the development of carbon removal technology. (
Recommended Reading
CEO: EQT Positioned to Meet Demand of Power-guzzling AI Data Centers
2024-04-01 - EQT Corp.’s Toby Rice said demand for AI could exceed the power demand required to meet U.S. residential demand and jump 20% by 2030, in this Hart Energy Exclusive interview.
Novo II Reloads, Aims for Delaware Deals After $1.5B Exit Last Year
2024-04-24 - After Novo I sold its Delaware Basin position for $1.5 billion last year, Novo Oil & Gas II is reloading with EnCap backing and aiming for more Delaware deals.
EIA: Permian, Bakken Associated Gas Growth Pressures NatGas Producers
2024-04-18 - Near-record associated gas volumes from U.S. oil basins continue to put pressure on dry gas producers, which are curtailing output and cutting rigs.
Gulfport Plans Liquids-rich Program After ‘Strong’ Ohio Oil Tests
2024-05-01 - Appalachia gas producer Gulfport Energy continues to report “strong oil production” from a two-well Hendershot pad drilled in eastern Ohio last year. Gulfport plans to develop additional liquids-rich opportunities this year as natural gas prices hover near record lows.
Enverus: 1Q Upstream Deals Hit $51B, but Consolidation is Slowing
2024-04-23 - Oil and gas dealmaking continued at a high clip in the first quarter, especially in the Permian Basin. But a thinning list of potential takeout targets, and an invigorated Federal Trade Commission, are chilling the red-hot M&A market.