LanzaJet Inc. announced last week that supermajor Royal Dutch Shell plc had become an investor of the sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) technology company and producer as it continues to search for lower-carbon alternatives to fossil energy.

The investment by Shell comes as LanzaJet is working to build the first Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) facility in the world. The commercial-scale plant, Freedom Pine Fuels in Soperton, GA, could produce around 10 million gal/year of AtJ. Operations at the plant are scheduled to begin in 2022. 

The size of the investment was not disclosed. 

“We’ve been at a crossroads for years and we’re now at a point in time when real solutions matter to address the global need to get to net-zero,” said LanzaJet CEO Jimmy Samartizis. “Shell’s...