The United Kingdom has introduced new measures, including a funding of £400,000 for producers to support sustainable aviation fuel plans. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to make the country a leading destination for the emerging market and to reduce its carbon footprint.
UK Aviation Decarbonisation
The UK aviation sector is aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050. The goal is to achieve net-zero emissions for all domestic flights by 2040, including airport operations. The UK Jet Zero Strategy is a plan that sets out how the UK aims to achieve net-zero by 2050. This includes a focus on the rapid development of aviation technologies. The strategy outlines a five-year execution plan that will be taken to achieve net-zero.
Sustainable Aviation is an alliance of UK airlines, airports, aerospace manufacturers, and fuel producers all working towards net-zero by 2050. They have released a detailed road map on how net-zero will be achieved. It includes ways to mitigate CO2 emissions, such as utilising fuel with lower carbon lifecycle emissions, purchasing greenhouse gas removals, and purchasing carbon credits within obligation scheme structures to achieve net reductions of carbon emissions.
Funding for Producers
Along with the decarbonisation plans, the UK government has announced additional funding to support producers, including a grant of £400,000 to support the testing and qualification of green fuels, accelerating SAF to the market. SAF reduces greenhouse gas emissions on average by 70% on a life cycle basis. However, compared to jet fuel, it is more expensive to produce. The government’s SAF measures aim to protect industry and consumers from excessive costs.
A revenue certainty mechanism (RCM) will keep ticket prices to a minimum and will be industry-funded through a levy on aviation fuel suppliers. The Department for Transport will continue to engage with industry on details of the RCM, along with pricing. This support for producers is under the £63 million of funding provided by the Advanced Fuels Fund this year. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said:
“This is a welcome announcement given the importance of the RCM to commercialising and scaling-up SAF production in the UK, a technology key to decarbonising aviation by 2050. A UK SAF industry, kick-started by the RCM and SAF Mandate, can create tens of thousands of jobs across the country whilst supporting our world-class aviation sector to deliver economic growth. We look forward to working with the government on scheme design and how contracts are allocated, so that we balance the need to deliver the SAF required to support mandate compliance, whilst keeping costs as low as possible through a competitive and transparent bidding process that places the consumer at its heart.”
The new measures will help industry meet its requirements under the SAF Mandate, which states that at least 10% of all jet fuel used in flights taking off from the UK from 2030 will be made with sustainable fuel, rising to 22% by 2040. Duncan McCourt, chief executive of Sustainable Aviation, said:
“We hugely welcome the publication of this important legislation. SAF is a crucial element in the plan to decarbonise aviation as it can be used in existing aircraft with existing infrastructure. The challenge now is to scale the industry, ensuring we have enough SAF to meet the mandate whilst keeping costs low and creating thousands of jobs in the process. This legislation will help to do that.”
What are your thoughts on SAF, and do you think the UK can achieve net-zero by 2050?
