Bill Gates-Backed Startup Building a Massive Refinery

Bill Gates founded Breakthrough Energy. And he recently announced that the first Catalyst project funding will come in the form of a $50 million grant to LanzaJet's Freedom Pines Fuels sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility in Soperton, Georgia.

Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a unique program that brings together businesses and nonprofits to fund significant first-of-its-kind commercial-scale projects that accelerate the deployment of essential technologies.

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Startup Turns Alcohol into Jet Fuel

"The Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a new way for the private sector to accelerate the clean energy transition by financing projects that will bring essential climate solutions to market on the timeline the world needs," explains Rodi Guidero, Executive Director of Breakthrough Energy and Managing Partner.

"LanzaJet's new sustainable aviation fuel facility can play a vital role in decarbonizing aviation while demonstrating how jobs and businesses in the clean energy economy can strengthen communities. We are grateful to Catalyst's partners who understand that climate leadership means supporting technologies that will eliminate emissions, and that solving our climate challenges will require nothing less than mobilizing the world's economic engine to build a net-zero future," he added.

LanzaJet's Freedom Pines Fuels project will be the company's first commercial-scale SAF plant. It will also be the first in the world to produce alcohol-to-jet SAF, which it is hoped can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% compared to fossil jet fuel. The project is scheduled for completion in 2023.

This is potentially a big deal as about 2 percent to 3 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from aviation. Because sustainable aviation fuels are "downgraded" fuels, it is an important way to rapidly reduce carbon emissions from aviation using aircraft already in use around the world.

Once fully operational, the plant will be an important part of increasing SAF production and bringing cheaper sustainable fuels to the market. The plant is expected to produce 9 million gallons of SAF and 1 million gallons of renewable diesel per year.