International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and LEVEL, today announced its largest Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) purchase contract to date for almost 1 billion liters of SAF, with Twelve, a company that produces a synthetic aviation fuel made from CO2, water and renewable energy known as e-SAF.
Founded in 2015, California-based Twelve produces chemicals, materials and fuels from carbon rather than fossil fuels through a carbon transformation technology that converts captured CO2 into products with water and renewable energy. as inputs and producing only water and oxygen. It uses an electrochemical reactor that absorbs carbon dioxide from waste or is captured directly from the air and uses a metal catalyst and electricity to split the CO2 and water and recombine the elements into different chemicals.
According to Twelve, the company's SAF reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% relative to conventional jet fuel.
Nicholas Flanders, co-founder and CEO of Twelve, said:
“Our energy-to-liquid E-Jet fuel offers industry-leading emissions reduction potential, with the added benefits of an abundant feedstock supply and significantly smaller land and water footprint compared to alternative SAF pathways. ”.
Under the new agreement, Twelve will supply 785,000 tonnes, or 984 million liters, of e-SAF over 14 years to support IAG's five European airlines. Initial deliveries will begin as early as 2025 at Twelve's demonstration plant in Moses Lake, Washington, currently under construction.
According to IAG, the announcement marks a major step towards its aim of achieving the target of flying with 10% SAF and using 1 million tonnes of SAF per year by 2030, with the agreement allowing the company to achieve a third of your goal.
The two companies began their partnership in 2020 when Twelve joined IAG's Hangar 51 startup accelerator program to commercialize Twelve's technology.
Luis Gallego, CEO of IAG said:
“We have a roadmap to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including a goal to fly on 10% sustainable aviation fuel by 2030. The global shortage of sustainable fuel continues to be an issue for our industry, although innovative companies like Twelve are an important part of the solution.”
