The archive · Climate & Energy · Strategic decision · 2015–2026
Twelve's E-Jet bet: first US plant making jet fuel from CO2 opens in Moses Lake
Twelve's AirPlant One is the first US commercial plant making drop-in jet fuel from CO2, water and renewable power; Alaska Airlines plans regular flights on it.
Twelve
What the business is
Twelve is a carbon-transformation company whose AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington, turns captured CO2 and water into E-Jet sustainable aviation fuel and E-Naphtha using renewable electricity.
Starting capital：$645M funding round closed in 2024 (Trellis); Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund and Alaska Star Ventures are investors (ESG Today).
How it started
Twelve was founded in 2015 to make chemicals, materials and fuels from captured CO2. In 2022 Microsoft and Alaska Airlines jointly committed to buy output from its first e-fuel plant — the anchor that let Twelve raise capital and start building.
What happened
Twelve closed a $645M funding round in 2024. AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington, now produces on-spec E-Jet fuel meeting ASTM certification, with fuel being delivered and sold for commercial aviation; Alaska Airlines, in partnership with Microsoft, expects to operate regular domestic flights on it. The plant also makes E-Naphtha, supplied to manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, PANGAIA and Procter & Gamble. Trellis reports Twelve has a contract to supply five European airlines with 260 million gallons of eSAF and is planning a larger AirPlant Two.
How it ended up
Still live and scaling: AirPlant One is in commercial operation as of June 2026, but at roughly 50,000 gallons a year it is a symbolic first step — Alaska alone burned 1.1 million gallons of jet fuel in 2025, and eSAF costs five to ten times conventional fuel today (Trellis).
Background
Twelve, founded in 2015, bets that the fuels powering the global economy can be manufactured from CO2, water and renewable electricity. Its AirPlant One in Moses Lake, Washington — opened in June 2026 — is the first commercial-scale US plant making E-Jet fuel, a power-to-liquid sustainable aviation fuel chemically identical to fossil jet fuel and certified under ASTM standards for unmodified aircraft.
The path to the plant ran through anchor customers: in 2022 Microsoft and Alaska Airlines jointly committed to buy its output, and Twelve closed a $645M funding round in 2024. The facility now produces on-spec fuel, with Alaska Airlines expected to operate regular domestic flights on it and fuel delivered to other commercial aviation partners; the plant also produces E-Naphtha for chemical customers.
The opening is a real milestone but a small one. Trellis reports output of about 50,000 gallons a year against the 1.1 million gallons Alaska burned in 2025, and estimates eSAF costs five to ten times conventional jet fuel. Near-term demand rests on corporate buyers such as Microsoft and Shopify taking book-and-claim credits, plus EU mandates that start e-SAF blending at 1.2% in 2030.
Twelve says it holds contracts to supply five European airlines with 260 million gallons and is planning AirPlant Two at tens of millions of gallons annually. The question the case leaves open is whether the cost curve falls before the subsidy and credit support does.
What has to be true
- First-installation milestone is concrete and dated: US commercial E-Jet production began in June 2026 after years of pilots.
- Independent coverage is verifiable: Trellis/GreenBiz, ESG Today and Interesting Engineering describe the same plant and economics.
- The bet is clear: power-to-liquid fuel at commercial scale, anchored by a 2022 Alaska–Microsoft offtake.
- Traction is specific: a major airline plans regular flights on the fuel and Twelve closed a $645M round in 2024.
What can be applied
Anchor offtake before breaking ground: Alaska–Microsoft's 2022 commitment unlocked $645M and the first plant. While fuel costs 5–10x fossil, survival depends on mandates and corporate credit buyers.
Aftermath
As of June 2026, AirPlant One is in commercial operation, producing ASTM-spec E-Jet fuel sold to commercial aviation partners, with Alaska Airlines expected to run regular domestic flights; E-Naphtha output goes to chemical manufacturers. Output is tiny — about 50,000 gallons a year versus Alaska's 1.1 million in 2025 — and eSAF costs an estimated five to ten times conventional fuel, so near-term economics rely on corporate credit buyers and EU e-SAF mandates. Twelve reports a 260-million-gallon contract with five European airlines and plans AirPlant Two at tens of millions of gallons a year.
Sources
- Microsoft-Backed SAF Producer Twelve Launches First U.S. Plant to Make Jet Fuel from CO2
- Jet fuel made from captured carbon begins to flow from new plant
- America's first plant making jet fuel from captured CO2 goes live
- Microsoft and Alaska Airlines' Role At E-Jet Fuel Plant
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