News & Achievements

Southwest Airlines Announces Investment in LanzaJet, Inc.

Deals & Cases

Vinson & Elkins advised Southwest Airlines Co. in a $30 million investment in LanzaJet, Inc., a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology provider and producer with a patented ethanol-to-SAF technology.

LanzaJet recently opened LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels, the world’s first commercial-scale ethanol-to-SAF plant in Soperton, Georgia, and its investors include British Airways, LanzaTech, Mitsui & Co., Shell,  Suncor Energy, and other funders such as Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy and Al Nippon Airways.

As part of the agreement, LanzaJet and Southwest intend to work toward the development of a SAF production facility and collaborate to advance the operations of a corn stover to ethanol technology company in which Southwest is invested: SAFFiRE Renewables, LLC.

The Vinson & Elkins corporate team was led by partner Chris Rowley, with assistance from senior associate John Sager and associates Tessa Krieger-Carlisle and Micah Tardy. Other key team members were partner Alan Alexander; partner Wes Jones; partner David Peck and senior associate Lauren Meyers; partner Michael Kurzer and associate Haley Titcomb; and counsels Brian Howard and Elizabeth McIntyre.

About Vinson & Elkins
For more than a century, Vinson & Elkins has provided outstanding client service across important industries that drive the global economy. Built on a strong culture of collaboration across 14 offices worldwide, V&E lawyers are committed to excellence, offering clients decades of legal experience in handling transactions, investments, projects and disputes across the globe. Learn more by visiting www.velaw.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

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