Washington State could soon be key player in sustainable jet fuel industry

Imagine Making jet fuel out of the air, or using Hydrogen to fly a plane. It’s the future of aviation and Washington State could soon be a key player in the effort to make fuel sustainable.

The whole topic is being discussed at the Paris Air Show where Boeing is working to secure contracts, and Governor Jay Inslee is working to secure business for the state. Inslee led a 100-member delegation to the show and tried to showcase Washington as a place for investment in the sustainable fuels sector.

A company called ‘Twelve’ says it can make jet fuel out of abundant carbon dioxide. We know CO2 is in the atmosphere and frankly is a pollutant that some scientists believe is harming the environment.

‘Twelve’ believes that jets could fly on fuel made from CO2 instead of pumping it into the atmosphere. The company says it could have a commercial jet fuel production facility in Moses Lake and could supply the fuel to several local companies including Alaska Airlines and Microsoft.

Governor Inslee believes companies that are looking to set up in Washington could have a huge impact when it comes to jobs, “-- each of them are in the hundreds not the thousands but they can scale up and they have to scale up so you’re talking about thousands of jobs ultimately in the sustainable aviation economy -- Boeing itself is really looking to become a sustainable aviation company.”

We already know a company called Zeroavia has plans for research and development at Paine Field in Everett. The company wants to retrofit an aircraft to fly on a hydrogen fuel base that would essentially be an electric hybrid jet. According to the Governor’s office, aviation contributes to 2.5% of the world’s carbon emissions – so a green hydrogen fuel hub here in Washington could mean a lot of business in the future.

‘Twelve’ plans to break ground in less than a month on a facility in Washington on July 11 -- and it says customers are already lined up for the fuel.

The air show continues this week -- and its clear sustainable fuels will be a major focus as companies race to become the leader.

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