Calgary-based Vista Projects, traditionally focused on oilsands extraction, has engineered the first commercial facility in the United States to produce jet fuel without petroleum. The plant, called AirPlant One and owned by energy producer Twelve, officially opened in Moses Lake, Washington in June 2026.
How the fuel is made
The process uses carbon dioxide captured from a nearby ethanol producer, water and renewable electricity. CO2 and water are fed into electrolyzers to create synthetic gas, which is then converted into liquid hydrocarbons via a Fischer-Tropsch reactor. Finally, the liquid is refined into aviation fuel. The plant also produces e-naphtha, a petroleum-free chemical feedstock used for plastics, solvents and synthetic fibres.
“Vista Projects brought the right mindset to a genuinely hard problem: building something that had never been built before,” said Twelve CEO Nicholas Flanders at the plant’s opening.
From oilsands to green fuel
Vista’s engineers designed the entire process from scratch over three years, leveraging their expertise in SAGD and in-situ oilsands technology. Twelve sought Vista’s help for engineering tools, but Vista gradually took on full engineering, design and procurement management. At the project’s peak, 60 Albertans were involved.
“They were looking for help in setting up some of the engineering tools and they asked us to take on more and more of the work,” said Vista CEO Scott Mussbacher. “By leveraging that experience, we were successful with this project.”
Advantages over conventional SAF
Unlike conventional sustainable aviation fuels that rely on agricultural feedstocks with land and supply limitations, AirPlant One uses onshore, abundant and scalable materials. The fuel requires no modifications to aircraft engines. “It works in today’s planes and in today’s engines,” Mussbacher said. The fuel produces 90 per cent lower lifecycle CO2 emissions than conventional jet fuel, according to Twelve.
“It’s close to being too good to be true but it’s really happening,” Mussbacher added.
Cost and scalability
Currently, the fuel is “a little bit more expensive” than conventional jet fuel, but costs could decrease with scaled-up production. Airlines and corporate purchasers can use it to meet emissions reduction goals without changing their fleets.
