The Microsoft founder’s company has awarded a $50 million grant to build the first commercial plant to produce environmentally friendly jet fuel from alcohol.
Breakthrough Energy, the company founded by Bill Gates to support green energy transition projects, has announced funding for the LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels green jet fuel plant.
The Freedom Pines Fuels project will be the world’s first jet fuel plant. The company estimates that production will start as early as 2023, and switching to alcohol-based fuels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% compared to fossil jet fuels.
The estimated production capacity of the plant is 34 million liters of green jet fuel and 3.75 million liters of renewable diesel per year. This is nearly double the total amount of green jet fuel currently produced in the U.S.
If the project is successful, the company plans to expand capacity and create additional facilities in North America, Europe and Asia. The project’s ambitious goal is to produce more than 3.75 billion liters of green jet fuel per year.
Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, which provides production funding, is a unique program that brings together commercial and nonprofit organizations to fund breakthrough commercial green energy solutions.
