- Southwest Airlines has launched a wholly-owned subsidiary, Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures.
- The subsidiary SARV will manage Southwest’s SAF-related investments, including SAFFiRE Renewables.
Southwest Airlines has launched a wholly owned subsidiary, Southwest Airlines Renewable Ventures (SARV). The new Group will obtain sustainable aviation fuel, aiding the company’s goal to replace 10 per cent of its total jet fuel consumption by 2030.
As part of the clean energy initiative, the company will invest $30 million in sustainable aviation fuel tech provider LanzaJet, the world’s first ethanol-to-SAF commercial plant.
Bob Jordan, president and CEO of Southwest Airlines, said, “Our launch of SARV and our investment in LanzaJet demonstrate that we are not sitting on the sidelines.”
He added, “Rather, we’re in the game by taking proactive, disciplined steps toward securing affordable, sustainable aviation fuel for Southwest as we continue to march toward our goal of net zero by 2050. We look forward to working with companies and organisations developing important technology, like LanzaJet, which could help us meet our sustainable aviation fuel goals.”
Also, the subsidiary SARV will focus on managing Southwest’s SAF-related investments, including SAFFiRE Renewables, which works with the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to produce cellulosic ethanol, an essential component in converting US agricultural reside feedstock corn stover to sustainable aviation fuel.
According to the President of SARV and CEO of SAFFiRE, Tom Nealon, He said, “SARV’s goal is to help scale sustainable aviation fuel through strategic investments, better positioning Southwest to have access to high quality, affordable SAF in accordance with the robust standards of Southwest’s SAF policy.”
He said, “Through SARV’s investment in LanzaJet, we’re also entering the next phase in the commercialisation of SAFFiRE technology, which is designed to support the production of cellulosic ethanol that can be converted to sustainable aviation fuel.”
Additionally, LanzaJet intends to build an ethanol-to-sustainable aviation fuel facility for Southwest. The plant will work to convert SAFFiRE’s cellulosic ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel. Securing additional sustainable aviation fuel is important to Southwest’s net zero by 2050 plan.
Furthermore, Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of LanzaJet, said, “LanzaJet’s ethanol-to-SAF technology represents the next generation of sustainable aviation fuel and will transform global aviation’s ability to meet its 2050 net-zero targets.”
He added, “We are proud to be working with Southwest Airlines to build out this industry as well as working with SAFFiRE Renewables to use ethanol made right here in the US Southwest’s equity investment in LanzaJet will help us continue to grow and scale to meet the demands of the aviation industry while unlocking the significant potential of the US biofuels industry to benefit local communities and support the agriculture industry.”