UK Grants £63mn Funding to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Projects
Key Ideas
- The UK government has allocated £63mn in grant funding to 17 sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and e-fuels projects in its third round of the advanced fuels fund (AFF).
- Projects range from trials to commercial scale and include technologies like alcohol-to-jet and synthesis of CO2 and renewable hydrogen for e-SAF production.
- Major recipients include US firm LanzaJet and Riyadh-based Alfanar, with aims to produce significant quantities of SAF by utilizing innovative technologies.
- The UK's focus on developing novel production pathways for SAF and e-SAF aligns with global efforts to meet increasing SAF quotas and reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector.
The UK government has announced the names of 17 sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and e-fuels projects that will share a total of £63mn in grant funding through the advanced fuels fund (AFF). These projects, varying in scale from trials to commercial production, aim to utilize advanced technologies such as alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) and the synthesis of CO2 and renewable hydrogen to produce environmentally friendly aviation fuels. One of the largest grants, £10mn, has been awarded to US firm LanzaJet for its 80,000 t/yr SAF plant, while £8mn has been granted to Riyadh-headquartered Alfanar for its Lighthouse Green Fuels project. The UK's grant funding also supports projects like Essar's initiative at Stanlow, which plans to use a combination of e-methanol and biomethanol to produce SAF products. The country is actively investing in SAF and e-SAF production pathways to meet future demand and reduce carbon emissions in the aviation industry. The article emphasizes the importance of developing innovative technologies and production routes to ensure a sustainable future for aviation fuel.