ADM bets big on clean jet fuel as airlines aim to cut emissions

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. is making a major move into sustainable jet fuels, and betting that airlines will remain under pressure to offset the gigantic carbon footprint of air travel.

ADM, one of the world’s biggest grain traders, has plans to slash more than half of its capacity for corn ethanol for cars and transition it to clean jet fuel production. To accomplish this, ADM is planning to work with renewable fuel maker Gevo Inc., according to a release Monday.

The move comes as reduced driving miles during the pandemic, coupled with soaring sales of electronic vehicles, have dampened the outlook for gasoline and ethanol. Meanwhile, demand for sustainable jet fuel is expected to boom in the coming years as the aviation industry, a major source of pollution, tries to reduce carbon emissions.

Airlines are also under pressure to make quick progress toward lower emissions even though breakthrough technology like hydrogen-powered planes is years away. The alternatives are limited: sustainable aviation fuel is expensive and scarce, and purchasing carbon offsets has been criticized as ineffective.

ADM has been pivoting away from ethanol, whose profitability is dependent on U.S. blending mandates. The company sold an Illinois ethanol plant last week. 

Demand for sustainable jet fuel is likely to jump to 3.6 billion gallons annually by 2030, or 3% of global jet fuel, up from less than 0.1% in 2019, according to a BloombergNEF report. Policy initiatives could push that statistic to 5.6% in a decade, the report said.

Shares for Gevo rose as much as 12% to $7.295 on Monday.