Global law firm Clifford Chance has advised the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (DOE LPO) in its US$1.46 billion conditional commitment to help finance a first-of-its-kind large-scale corn starch-to-jet fuel facility in Lake Preston, South Dakota, which is expected to double the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) capacity in the United States.

Once completed, the Gevo NZ-1 facility will have the capacity to produce up to 60 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel per year. Based on Gevo’s analysis with the 40BSAF-GREET model, it will reduce over 600,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually when compared to the lifecycle emissions of fossil jet fuel.

Energy & Infrastructure counsel Peter Hughes and partner Lori Bean are leading the Clifford Chance team along with associate Andrew Cotton. The wider Clifford Chance team includes:

• Construction: partner Edward Bretherton, lawyer Tom Pemberton
• Regulatory: partner Marcia Hook, associate Nicholas Johnson
• Environmental: partner Ty’Meka Reeves-Sobers, associate Kami McFarland
• Real Estate: counsel Victoria Manthas, associate Anthony Norris
• Commercial: counsel Philip Walsh
• Corporate: associates Stephanie Kilmer and Vicki Ye