UK SAF law of 2% comes into effect

We welcome the UK Government’s announcement of the 2% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate becoming law and the initiation of a progressive pathway to decarbonise aviation. The UK is one of the first countries in the world to sign a SAF mandate into law and part of the government’s Plan for Change. Airlines will be required to increase its use of SAF to 10% in 2030 and thereafter to 22% in 2040.

Aviation Minister, Mike Kane, said: “From this moment on, aviation will be a greener, more sustainable form of travel and today marks a significant milestone for the UK SAF industry. With thousands of jobs supporting the UK SAF industry and flying becoming popular than ever, the mandate will help deliver our Plan for Change helping to grow the economy and giving people the freedom to travel in a more sustainable way.”

SAF can be made available for use through a various clean technology pathways. Nova Pangaea Technologies‘ REFNOVA® technology utilises sustainably sourced biomass wastes and residues as feedstocks. The 2G ethanol produced by REFNOVA® is further processed via the AtJ pathway to produce SAF. A co-product from the REFNOVA® process is biochar, a natural carbon removal product that can deliver an immediate decarbonisation impact through sequestration and enable a negative CO₂ emissions profile.

NPT is in partnership with British Airways and LanzaJet to deliver Project Speedbird, a commercial plant that will produce 102 million litres of SAF per year. This reduces CO2 emissions by 230,000 tonnes per annum on a net lifecycle basis.​ Project Speedbird secured Government funding through the Advanced Fuels Fund of £9 million.