Latham & Watkins Advises Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund on Innovative Financing for LanzaJet

A cross-office team has advised Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund on the US$50 million investment with LanzaJet, a sustainable fuels technology company and renewable fuels producer. The investment will support the construction of LanzaJet's (and the world's) first alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant, Freedom Pines Fuels in Soperton, Georgia. The innovative structure of Microsoft's financing will enable LanzaJet to bring lower-cost sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel to the global market. The investment was made as part of Microsoft's efforts to achieve its 2030 goal of becoming carbon negative and advancing a net-zero economy. It also allows Microsoft to access sustainable, renewable diesel for its data centers to enable Microsoft further to achieve its net-zero goals.

The Latham team was led by Washington, D.C. partner Paul Hunt and counsel Eric Merrill and includes Washington, D.C. partner James Barrett, San Diego partner Robert Frances and counsel Aaron Friberg, New York partner J.P. Brisson, Orange County counsel Josh Bledsoe, Washington, D.C. associate James Lim and New York associate Qingyi Pan.