Industrial technology company Twelve has officially opened AirPlant One, the first commercial-scale facility in the United States engineered to produce synthetic “E-Jet” fuel using carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity.
In addition to drop-in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the facility will manufacture E-Naphtha. This synthetic chemical is identical to conventional petroleum-derived naphtha and serves as a foundational building block for downstream industrial manufacturing, including plastics, packaging, solvents, and synthetic fibres.
The deployment of AirPlant One was accelerated by an early joint procurement model established in 2022. Alaska Airlines and Microsoft issued a joint commitment to purchase the future fuel output of the plant, delivering the commercial demand signal required to secure project financing and begin construction. Further aligning their corporate operations, Alaska Star Ventures participated as an investor in Twelve’s recent $645 million funding round, integrating capital allocation with future flight operations.
Microsoft supported the infrastructure scale-up via a direct investment from its Climate Innovation Fund alongside an independent SAF offtake agreement. To account for the environmental benefits, Microsoft and Alaska Airlines will utilise a book-and-claim accounting framework, allowing the technology corporation to claim verified emission reductions against its scope 3 corporate business travel footprint.
Ryan Spies, Managing Director of Sustainability at Alaska Airlines, commented, “Our partnership with Twelve and Microsoft demonstrates the power of innovation and collaboration to successfully advance SAF, while creating new jobs, diversifying fuel supply chains and strengthening energy security.” Melanie Nakagawa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Microsoft, added, “Our investment in Twelve helps scale energy solutions while laying the groundwork for cleaner aviation at a global scale. We look forward to sourcing future gallons of Washington-produced SAF to help reduce our business travel emissions.”
