During his business trip to the U.S. from August 5 to 7, Askhat Khassenov, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC NC KazMunayGas, met with Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of the American technology firm LanzaJet. The meeting focused on forming a strategic partnership to produce environmentally sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Kazakhstan, according to KMG’s press service.
As per media report, Khassenov expressed his gratitude to LanzaJet for the invitation and the opportunity to tour the LanzaTech laboratory in Chicago. He highlighted KMG’s goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 15% by 2031 compared to 2019 levels and emphasized that developing Kazakhstan’s biofuels market aligns with the country’s objective of achieving carbon neutrality.
“With global demand for SAF on the rise, our company is exploring SAF production in Kazakhstan,” said Khassenov.
Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of LanzaJet, acknowledged Kazakhstan’s initial efforts in producing eco-friendly jet fuel and offered full technological support.
LanzaJet specializes in SAF production technology from ethanol, also known as “ethanol-to-jet” or “alcohol-to-jet,” and holds long-term off-take agreements with major airlines. In January 2024, LanzaJet launched the world’s first commercial-scale SAF production plant, LanzaJet Freedom Pines Fuels, which converts ethanol into SAF.
The visit concluded with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation.
