(The Center Square) – Gov. Jay Inslee and the company Twelve announced plans today for a “sustainable” jet fuel facility in Washington at the 2023 Paris Air Show.
“We’re excited for Twelve to join the growing number of innovative companies that recognize everything that Washington has to offer,” Inslee said in a news release.
Inslee plans to attend the July 11 groundbreaking for the Moses Lake facility, which will produce “fossil-free” E-Jet fuel, according to Twelve’s website. The facility will bring up to 100 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs to Moses Lake, according to Jaime Smith, Inslee’s executive director of communications.
“Washington is the perfect location for our facility, with its abundant renewable energy resources to power our carbon transformation process and longstanding global leadership in the aviation industry,” Twelve co-founder and CEO Nicholas Flanders said in the news release.
The company claims E-Jet fuel offers the “same quality and performance” but up to 90% lower lifecycle emissions since it sources carbon from the air, according to the Twelve’s website. Electric planes run on batteries and can only run flights of up to three hours, so the company hopes its E-Jet fuel can offer a higher-density energy source.
“Commercial-scale production of E-Jet fuel is a major milestone in our mission of creating a world run on air,” Flanders said.
The company is partnering with Microsoft and Alaska Airlines, which aims to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040, to bring the fuel into commercial use.
Twelve makes E-Jet fuel with an electrochemical reactor and catalyst that electrifies water and carbon dioxide, forming a synthesis gas refined into “carbon neutral” fuel, according to the company’s website.
Smith said the governor’s office is working to continue Washington’s legacy of aerospace innovation.
“Washington maintains its widely-recognized leadership in the aviation and aerospace industries by creating a competitive business environment that fosters technology innovation, such as carbon transformation, that will help decarbonize the global aviation industry,” Inslee said.
