Green Plains, Tallgrass and PNNL Awarded DOE Funding for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Technology

OMAHA, Neb., Sept. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE), Tallgrass, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) today announced they have been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology as part of the federal agency’s effort to support the development of valuable biofuels and bioproducts for the clean energy economy.

“Developing and deploying new technologies to produce sustainable aviation fuel is part of Green Plains’ ongoing transformation and this grant will help fund catalyst optimization which can lead to a pilot facility and beyond,” said Todd Becker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Plains. “We believe the PNNL technology can be a game changer in efficiently converting low-carbon alcohol to sustainable aviation fuel.”

The DOE award will support Green Plains and Tallgrass in funding the demonstration of an innovative process developed by PNNL to convert ethanol to SAF via ketone intermediates, a critical step in proving the scalability of the technology. Green Plains and Tallgrass currently hold the option to exclusively license the PNNL SAF technology globally. They will jointly pursue the production of SAF from cellulosic and corn ethanol and intend to commercialize PNNL’s production process upon successful completion of the pilot project.

“New alcohol-to-jet pathways are necessary to achieve the ambitious volume targets for SAF, and our rapidly-evolving biorefinery platform is well positioned to help meet and exceed these targets,” added Becker. “Our collaboration with Tallgrass and our work with PNNL on state-of-the-art technologies positions Green Plains at the forefront of SAF commercialization which is supported by the expansion of policy to economically develop and deploy novel SAF technology.”

“This partnership represents the type of cross-industrial collaboration that is required to achieve meaningful decarbonization rapidly,” said Matt Sheehy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tallgrass. “At Tallgrass we believe it is critical to develop and invest in the infrastructure to produce and transport the next generation of clean fuels. We are excited to work alongside Green Plains and PNNL to advance this pioneering SAF production technology and the infrastructure to commercialize large-scale SAF production.”

About Green Plains Inc.

Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) is a leading biorefining company focused on the development and utilization of fermentation, agricultural and biological technologies in the processing of annually renewable crops into sustainable value-added ingredients. This includes the production of cleaner low-carbon biofuels, renewable feedstocks for advanced biofuels and high-purity alcohols for use in cleaners and disinfectants. Green Plains is an innovative producer of Ultra-High Protein and novel ingredients for animal and aquaculture diets to help satisfy a growing global appetite for sustainable protein. The Company also owns a 48.9% limited partner interest and a 2.0% general partner interest in Green Plains Partners LP. For more information, visit www.gpreinc.com.

About Tallgrass

Tallgrass is a leading energy infrastructure company focused on safely, reliably and sustainably delivering the energy and services that fuel homes and businesses and enable quality of life. We are committed to being at the forefront of efforts to decarbonize our world. An investor group led by Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, which includes Enagás SA, GIC, NPS and USS, owns the outstanding equity interests in Tallgrass. Learn more at www.tallgrass.com.

About Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit www.pnnl.gov.

Green Plains Inc. Contacts
Investors: Phil Boggs | Executive Vice President, Investor Relations | 402.884.8700 | [email protected]
Media: Lisa Gibson | Communications Manager | 402.952.4971 | [email protected]

Tallgrass Contact
Media: Steven Davidson | Vice President, Government & Public Affairs | 817.988.4284 | [email protected]

PNNL Contact
Media: Greg Koller | Senior Public Affairs Advisor & Newsroom Manager | 509.372.4864 | [email protected]