The UK Government has announced it will provide £63m in funding for new projects aimed at speeding up the production of green fuel for the aviation sector.
UK aviation minister Mike Kane said: “We’re not just backing brilliant British innovation, we’re creating thousands of high-skilled jobs and positioning the UK at the forefront of the global sustainable aviation market.”
Jimmy Samartzis, CEO of LanzaJet, said: “This support demonstrates confidence in LanzaJet’s technology and the critical role ethanol-to-SAF can play in delivering economic growth, creating jobs and decarbonising air travel. Project Speedbird is vital to building a national SAF industry in the UK and to unlocking opportunity and innovation in the region.”
OXCCU Tech – which is developing an SAF plant at Oxford Airport – and Sheffield University, which tests green fuels, are also on the funding list.
Neil Robinson, chief sustainability officer at Manchester Airports Group (MAG), said:“I am pleased to see £4.5 million of investment awarded to Essar and NorthPointe Energy, that will see airlines using Manchester Airport have direct access to SAF via the existing pipeline to the Stanlow production site.
“This funding, together with the UK SAF mandate and parliament’s support of a revenue certainty mechanism, play an important role in the creation of a domestic SAF industry which will support the creation of thousands of new green jobs and secure a future of sustainable flying.”
