World’s First SAF Plant Will Start Operations This Year

After several delays, the world’s first sustainable aviation fuel factory will start operating before the end of 2025. Bloomberg said the factory, owned by LanzaJet, Inc., will make green jet fuel from ethanol.

The $200 million facility, located in rural Georgia, was scheduled to begin commercial production in 2024. Now, it’s expected to begin production by the end of September.

The latest delay was the result of equipment issues. LanzaJet is being closely watched as a potential barometer for success in the ethanol-to-jet fuel industry. The company imported Brazilian sugarcane ethanol in 2024 to pilot production, but more than a year later, it has yet to sell its jet fuel onto the open market.

“I hope that by the end of the third quarter, we are fully operational,” said LanzaJet Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Samartzis. “The modifications we made to the equipment hindering us should satisfy what we need to do.”