CO2-Based Jet Fuel Enters Mass Production as Startup Twelve Delivers First Shipments

The aviation industry has long faced a seemingly intractable math problem: modern aircraft require the dense, reliable energy of liquid hydrocarbons to cross oceans, but burning those hydrocarbons releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. For years, the proposed solution has been sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from biological sources like used cooking oil or agricultural waste. However, a new milestone achieved in the Pacific Northwest is proving that the industry might not need to rely on the ground to fuel its planes—it can pull the ingredients straight from the air.

Twelve, a California-based carbon transformation startup, has officially begun commercial shipments of its E-Jet sustainable aviation fuel from its newly opened AirPlant One facility in Moses Lake, Washington. The delivery marks the first time a commercial-scale facility in the United States has produced aviation fuel entirely from captured carbon dioxide, water, and renewable electricity.[1][3][4]

The milestone represents a critical shift in the effort to decarbonize one of the global economy's hardest-to-abate sectors. Alaska Airlines is slated to be the first commercial carrier to operate domestic flights using the Moses Lake fuel, supported by a partnership with Microsoft. Through a "book-and-claim" accounting model, Microsoft is purchasing the environmental attributes of the fuel to offset its corporate travel emissions, providing the crucial financial backing needed to get the first-of-its-kind facility off the ground.[1][3][5]

The technology driving this shift is known as power-to-liquid (PtL) manufacturing. At the heart of the Moses Lake plant is Twelve’s proprietary electrochemical reactor, dubbed OPUS. The system functions as a form of industrial photosynthesis, using electricity to break apart stable molecules and rearrange them into high-value chemical building blocks.[2][4][6]

The process begins with carbon dioxide, which Twelve currently sources from a nearby ethanol production facility, and water. Using 100% renewable hydropower drawn from the Columbia River, the OPUS reactor splits the CO2 and water, converting them into synthesis gas, or syngas—a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.[1][3][4][5]

This syngas is then fed through a traditional chemical synthesis process to create hydrocarbon fuel molecules. The resulting E-Jet fuel is chemically identical to conventional fossil-based jet fuel. Because it is a true "drop-in" fuel, it meets stringent international aviation standards and can be blended directly into existing airport pipelines and pumped into current aircraft engines without requiring a single mechanical modification.[3][5][6]

The environmental math behind the process is compelling. According to Twelve, E-Jet fuel has the potential to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional jet fuel. Because the carbon emitted from the tailpipe was originally captured from the atmosphere or an industrial source, the fuel essentially creates a closed carbon loop, rather than pulling new, ancient carbon out of the ground.[2][3][6]

But the most significant advantage of Twelve’s power-to-liquid approach lies in its contrast to the current generation of sustainable aviation fuels. Today, the vast majority of SAF is produced using hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA)—essentially refining used cooking oil, animal fats, or agricultural waste into jet fuel.[3][4]

While bio-based SAF is currently the most commercially viable alternative, it faces a hard mathematical ceiling. There is simply not enough waste fat in the world to replace the billions of gallons of jet fuel consumed annually. Furthermore, scaling up purpose-grown agricultural feedstocks triggers the controversial "food versus fuel" debate, raising concerns about deforestation, water use, and land degradation.[1][3]

E-fuels bypass this bottleneck entirely. By relying solely on carbon dioxide, water, and electricity, power-to-liquid technology decouples fuel production from agriculture. The supply chain is theoretically limitless, constrained only by the availability of clean power and carbon capture infrastructure.[4][5]

Despite the elegant chemistry, the immediate reality of AirPlant One highlights the staggering scale of the challenge ahead. At its initial capacity, the Moses Lake facility is designed to produce approximately 50,000 gallons of E-Jet fuel per year. To put that in perspective, a single Boeing 777 flying from New York to London burns roughly 20,000 gallons of fuel in one trip.[1][5]

The global aviation industry consumes over 90 billion gallons of jet fuel annually. Twelve’s current output is a microscopic drop in a massive bucket, illustrating the monumental infrastructure build-out required to make a meaningful dent in global emissions.[1][4]

The primary hurdle to that expansion is cost. Power-to-liquid fuels are currently significantly more expensive to produce than both conventional fossil fuels and bio-based SAF. The electrolysis process is incredibly energy-intensive, meaning the economic viability of E-Jet fuel is entirely tethered to the price and availability of massive amounts of renewable electricity.[3][4]

However, the market is signaling confidence that the cost curve will eventually bend. Twelve recently secured $645 million in a funding round led by TPG Rise Climate, providing the capital needed to optimize the technology and begin planning larger facilities.[5]

Airlines are also stepping up to de-risk the technology. International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, recently signed a 14-year offtake agreement to purchase 785,000 tonnes of Twelve’s E-Jet fuel. These long-term, fixed-price contracts are essential for securing project financing, as they guarantee a buyer for the fuel before the concrete is even poured for future plants.[3][6]

Beyond aviation, the Moses Lake facility is also producing E-Naphtha, a low-carbon chemical feedstock. Naphtha is a foundational ingredient in thousands of everyday consumer products, from plastics and packaging to synthetic fibers and car parts. By producing it from air rather than oil, Twelve is proving that the entire petrochemical supply chain can theoretically be decarbonized.[2][5]

For now, the first shipments leaving Washington State represent a critical proof of concept. The chemistry works, the fuel meets regulatory standards, and commercial airlines are ready to fly on it. The challenge for Twelve—and the broader e-fuel industry—now shifts from the laboratory to the grid, as they attempt to scale a boutique scientific breakthrough into a global industrial powerhouse.[1]