Sustainable fuels technology company LanzaJet and CO2 capture and utilization company LanzaTech announced on June 15 the two companies have been chosen by Air New Zealand and New Zealand’s Ministry for Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) to support the second stage of a study that aims to determine the commercial viability and sustainability of domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in the island country.
The study will look into the use of domestic waste products to produce SAF, with a primary focus on forestry residue. LanzaTech will turn the waste raw materials into low-CO2 ethanol using its commercially deployed gas fermentation technology. LanzaJet will turn ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel through its Alcohol-to-Jet technology.
“A sustainable fuels industry enables countries to gain energy independence with domestic production of fuels alongside infrastructure and economic development while having a positive benefit on climate change – and that’s what we’re looking to enable in New Zealand,” said Jimmy Samartzis, Founding CEO of LanzaJet.
Jennifer Holmgren, the CEO of LanzaTech, emphasized the need to accelerate the establishment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facilities worldwide to generate employment opportunities and address the scarcity of environmentally friendly fuel alternatives currently available to the industry.
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LanzaTech, which was established in Auckland, New Zealand, will conduct a supply chain risk assessment and evaluate the potential of the use of domestic waste in the production of ethanol through gasification.
LanzaTech and Lanzajet have chosen Z Energy, a subsidiary of Ampol Group and New Zealand’s largest fuel retailer, to take part in the second stage of the study by looking into the end-to-end supply chain, including feedstock options and the economic impact on the region.
According to Lindis Jones, CEO of Z Energy, sustainable aviation fuel will play an instrumental role in bringing down the industry’s emissions.
Air New Zealand and the country’s government have chosen LanzaTech and LanzaJet following a request for proposals process that was open for one year. Air New Zealand, which is the country’s national carrier, aims to achieve net zero by mid-decade.
Once the study is completed, which is expected to happen by mid-2024, the participants will decide whether to proceed with development and engineering.
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