SAFFiRE Renewables

Congratulations to our Southwest Airlines Fuel Strategy & Management Team!! We LUV working with and learning from you all every day.

Could #corn be the next source of jet fuel for Southwest Airlines? Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures COO Anthony Gregory shares how and why the airline is investing in innovation to advance sustainable aviation fuel - both through #VC and through direct ownership. It's a bold approach that could drive demand for American #agriculture in a tough market. Our conversation is this week's #Agbioscience podcast, and it is available now wherever you get your podcasts by simply searching "Agbioscience" Apple - https://lnkd.in/em83e6ZT YouTube - https://lnkd.in/embnzXnT AgriNovus - https://lnkd.in/gdzz_9tt #SAF Indiana Corn Marketing Council Corteva Agriscience AgriNovus Indiana Indiana Farm Bureau, Inc. Indiana Economic Development Corporation Indiana State Department of Agriculture

Thank you Anthony Gregory for your Leadership in driving our SAF investments and supporting our Nonstop to Net Zero strategy through bold renewable ventures! 🌱✈️ #SouthwestAirlinesRenewableVentures #SouthwestAirlines #Sustainability #SAF #NonstopToNetZero

About 1.6 million barrels per day of petroleum jet fuel were consumed in the United States in 2023. That number is expected to increase to nearly 2 million barrels daily by 2050. Southwest Airlines is taking a bold move, migrating away from petroleum to sustainable fuels. Anthony Gregory, COO of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures, joins today to talk about its impact on #agbioscience innovation, farmers and airline travelers in the future. Watch or listen: https://lnkd.in/gpqPxC-6

Just wrapped up an inspiring week at the International Civil Aviation Organization's LTAG stocktaking event! I had the privilege of speaking during Session 8, where we explored the implementation support needed and the challenges and opportunities on the road to achieving the LTAG. It was exciting to share Southwest Airlines' Nonstop to Net Zero strategy and our progress - including the innovative work of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures and SAFFiRE Renewables. Key takeaways from our panel: - ICAO plays a critical role in driving standardization across the industry. One area of opportunity is applying this to book-and-claim systems for more transparency, consistency, and efficiency - Sustainability certification is vital, yet it can be a complex, expensive, and time-consuming process for feedstock providers and producers - especially when SAF isn't their sole focus. ICAO's leadership could help simplify this process, ensuring that we don't let perfection stand in the way of meaningful progress - The U.S. stands out for its unique approach to SAF incentives, which can serve as a model for other countries. Zia Haq from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) did a great job outlining the SAF Grand Challenge and the importance of federal and state-level incentives to scale SAF It's an exciting time to be part of this work, and I look forward to continuing these important conversations! #sustainability #southwestairlines #nonstoptonetzero #aviation

LanzaJet was honored to be the presenting sponsor at Chicago Climate-Tech Week, where our VP of Corporate Affairs & Marketing Meg Whitty not only emceed the event Wednesday but also participated in a panel on the future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (#SAF) in Illinois, the Midwest, and beyond.     Huge thank you to our great panel on SAF, moderated by Karen Weigert, Director of the Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise and Responsibility, Loyola University Chicago and Chicago’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, and joined by Anthony Gregory, COO of Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures, and Bill Bodine, Director of Business and Regulatory Affairs at Illinois Farm Bureau. The panel discussion underscored the catalyzing role that Chicago – home to major industries like agriculture and aviation, and LanzaJet’s global headquarters – and the Midwest will play in the future of SAF.   On Thursday, LanzaJet’s Erik G. Birkerts, Vice President, Growth & Execution, and Evangelos Karambelas, Director, Finance & Capital Markets, sat down for a fireside chat with mHUB Co-Founder and CEO Haven Allen to discuss navigating hardtech commercialization.    Throughout the week, we heard in-depth conversations focused on the challenges and opportunities in scaling sustainable solutions and driving innovation across the energy sector. One of the main highlights was a fireside chat with Governor JB Pritzker and Invenergy CEO Michael Polsky, moderated by John Pletz of Crain's Chicago Business. Governor Pritzker has been a champion for SAF and last year signed into law one of the first state-level incentives for the purchase of SAF – a huge step forward for the industry!    A special thanks to the event sponsors—Rivian, ADM, KPMG, Ocient, Nicor Gas, ComEd, Illinois Institute of Technology, mHub, and 1871—as well as supporters: Innovate Illinois, Intersect Illinois, Mark Denzler and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Tifair Hamed at P33 Chicago, Kara Demirjian Huss, Melissa Amedeo and Molly Wilson, MBA at DCC Marketing, 1871’s Betsy Ziegler, and KPMG’s Peter Newell for their help making Chicago Climate-Tech Week a success!    #SAF #sustainability #climatetech #cleanenergy #cleanfuel #hardtech #ag #agriculture #aviation #Illinois #Midwest #SomedayIsNow 

It was great to attend the Bloomberg NEF Summit and hear from the expert panel on decarbonizing aviation: • Leigh Abrams from Honeywell Aerospace Technologies • Erik G. Birkerts from LanzaJet • Anthony Gregory from Southwest Airlines • Moderated by Anastacia Davies from BloombergNEF The conversation around scaling clean fuels is more critical than ever, and it’s encouraging to see leaders across sectors pushing toward a more sustainable future in aviation. At Airspace Data, we’re excited to be part of the solution as we continue our work pioneering real-time access to unused military airspace for shorter routes, less fuel, and lower emissions. #decarbonization #aviation #cleantech #sustainability #AirspaceData

August 28, 2024 was a great day in Liberal, Kansas, as we celebrated the groundbreaking of our Pilot Site! We are incredibly grateful for the invaluable partnerships and support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, LanzaJet, Conestoga Energy Partners, LLC, Bioprocessing (Merrick), Growth Energy, Southwest Airlines, Idaho National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the Federal Aviation Administration. This event marked not just a significant milestone for SAFFiRE Renewables but for the advancement of sustainable energy and aviation fuel production in the U.S. The energy and collaboration were palpable, thanks to an incredible lineup of speakers: 🌟 Tom Willis, CEO of Conestoga Energy Partners, LLC. 🌟 Tom Nealon, CEO of SAFFiRE Renewables. 🌟 Senator Jerry Moran, U.S. Senator. 🌟 Debra Sanning, Federal Aviation Administration Regional Director. 🌟 Congressman Tracey Mann, U.S. Representative. 🌟 Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy. 🌟 Valerie Reed, Director of Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). 🌟 Tim Lust, CEO of National Sorghum Producers 🌟 Senator Roger Marshall, U.S. Senator. This event exemplifies what’s possible when public and private sectors come together for a common purpose. Together, we are creating a cleaner, more sustainable future for generations to come. Thank you to all our partners, stakeholders, and participants for making this day one to remember. Thank you to Jordan Washer for capturing beautiful images of the event. Lastly, thank you and congratulations to our SAFFiRE Team, Anthony Gregory, Marykate O'Brien, Nitin Kolhapure, PhD, PMP, Mark Yancey, Astri Farber Martin, and Jas McClendon. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability!

We were excited to be a part of the groundbreaking event for the SAFFiRE Renewables' pilot plant! Eventually, the low carbon-intensity ethanol made at the plant will be upgraded into sustainable aviation fuel. Congratulations to SAFFiRE and the project partners on this important milestone! #wearemerrick

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining many project partners for SAFFiRE Renewables’ new cellulosic ethanol pilot plant’s groundbreaking event in Liberal, Kansas, marking a major stride towards achieving the goals of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge! With initial funding from BETO and Southwest Airlines, this plant will be capable of processing 10 tons of corn stover daily, producing ethanol that can be upgraded into SAF with an 83% lower carbon footprint than conventional jet fuel. This project shows that public–private investments can put steel in the ground for pioneering SAF facilities. It has been a pleasure to see DOE funding and research support translate into industry milestones that directly support our goals. https://lnkd.in/gnJNSA_D