Twelve begins construction on eSAF plant in Washington state

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (second from left) speaks at the groundbreaking in Moses Lake July 11 with Twelve co-founders (from left to right) Etosha Cave, chief science officer; Nicholas Flanders, CEO; and Kendra Kuhl, chief technology officer. (Photo: Business Wire)

Twelve broke ground July 11 on its commercial-scale E-Jet® fuel production facility in Moses Lake, Washington.

The company marked the occasion with remarks by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, Washington State Sen. Julie Warnick, and a panel conversation on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) between Etosha Cave, Twelve co-founder and chief science officer; Ann Ardizzone, vice president of strategic sourcing and supply chain with Alaska Airlines; and Brandon Middaugh, the senior director of Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund.

E-Jet fuel is SAF produced using Twelve’s carbon-transformation technology, which uses renewable energy and water to transform CO2 into critical chemicals, materials and fuels conventionally made from fossil fuels, and in partnership with Emerging Fuels Technology.

As a power-to-liquid SAF with up to 90 percent lower lifecycle greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions compared to conventional, petroleum-based jet fuel, E-Jet fuel meets the applicable ASTM International specifications and is a drop-in ready synthetic fuel that works seamlessly with existing aircraft and airport infrastructure.

“It faces no real constraints on feedstock, thus offering the best viable long-term solution for addressing GHG and other emissions from the aviation sector,” Twelve stated.

The facility is expected to begin E-Jet fuel production in mid-2024 at a capacity of approximately 5 barrels per day, with plans to quickly increase production capacity.

Construction of the facility will provide roughly 200 local jobs, and once operational it will provide additional, permanent clean-energy jobs for Moses Lake and the surrounding area—further positioning the region as a leader in the aviation industry and the clean-energy transition.

“Twelve uses carbon transformation to address hard-to-abate emissions across a variety of industries and to enable a world made from air, not oil,” said Nicholas Flanders, Twelve’s co-founder and CEO. “Our commercial-scale production of E-Jet fuel will allow the aviation sector to achieve fossil-free flights for the long haul.”

Gov. Inslee said, “We’re proud to welcome Twelve to Washington state. By producing E-Jet fuel at scale, Twelve will boost our soaring aviation industry and our thriving clean energy economy.”

Alaska Airlines, Microsoft and Shopify will be the first customers to receive products from the Moses Lake plant under existing agreements.

Fuel produced from this production facility will be used in regular airline operations as part of a three-party agreement between Alaska, Microsoft and Twelve—as part of each company’s commitment to decarbonize their operations.

“At Alaska Airlines, we’re working hard across our operations to be the most fuel-efficient U.S. airline,” Ardizzone said. “We know that maturing the SAF market is a critical part of reaching our own and our industry’s long-term goal of net-zero carbon emissions. Our partnership with Twelve and Microsoft to bring E-Jet into use on commercial flights in the year ahead is an important part of this journey. We are proud to support the development and production of SAF in Washington state, supporting our innovation economy and local jobs. Congratulations to Twelve and the Moses Lake community on this groundbreaking milestone.”