Innovative Partnership for Sustainable Aviation: Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and Infinium’s Project Roadrunner

In a significant move towards sustainable aviation, Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, backed by Bill Gates, has committed a substantial $75 million equity investment to Infinium’s Project Roadrunner. This groundbreaking project aims to transform waste carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marking a pivotal step in the aviation industry’s journey towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Located in West Texas, Project Roadrunner is set to be North America’s largest commercial-scale Power-to-Liquids (PtL) eFuels facility. The project’s primary focus is to produce Infinium eSAF, a type of sustainable aviation fuel with the potential to slash lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from air travel by around 90%. This rate of reduction significantly surpasses the emissions reductions achievable with current SAFs on the market. Besides eSAF, Project Roadrunner will also generate Infinium eNaphtha for plastics manufacturing and Infinium eDiesel, catering to hard-to-electrify transportation sectors like long-haul trucking and maritime applications.

In a parallel development, American Airlines, a partner in Breakthrough Energy, has made a long-term commitment to purchase the fuel produced by Project Roadrunner. This firm offtake agreement is a crucial factor enabling further investment in the project. Additionally, this partnership serves as a model for the aviation industry, demonstrating how airlines can use offtake agreements to support and invest in new SAF technologies.

Citi, another partner of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, has also played a significant role in this initiative. They have agreed with American Airlines to transfer the associated emission reductions to Citi. This agreement aids in scaling this innovative technology and helps reduce a portion of Citi’s Scope 3 emissions from employee travel.

Project Roadrunner is not just a standalone initiative; Infinium has several eFuels projects in development across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Japan, and Australia. This investment from Catalyst is crucial for accelerating the completion of Project Roadrunner, setting a precedent for larger eFuels plants under development.

This collaboration among Infinium, Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, American Airlines, and Citi represents a landmark achievement in developing sustainable aviation fuels. It showcases the collaborative effort needed to bring to market new technologies that will enable the decarbonization of the aviation sector.