The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded sustainable fuels technology company, Velocys, a grant of up to £2.4m for its Altalto Immingham waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project. Of the total £2.4m grant, £1.2m is subject to progress by the DfT in developing policy support for SAF.
A collaboration between Velocys and British Airways, the Altalto project aims to convert hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year of residual waste in sustainable fuels, mainly aviation fuel. Planning consent for the plant was granted in 2020 and the project is now ready to proceed to the final stages of engineering prior to construction, subject to policy progress and third party project funding.
“We are very pleased to have this enhanced level of support from the Department for Transport for the Altalto project,” said Henrik Wareborn, CEO, Velocys. “The momentum for SAF in the UK and around the world is growing, demonstrated here by the recent consultations on the path to net zero aviation and on a SAF mandate. This grant demonstrates that the Altalto project is a key part of the strategy to accelerate a SAF industry in the UK.
British Airways Chairman and CEO, Sean Doyle, added: “Plants like this one would be a game-changer for our industry, not only delivering sustainable aviation fuel, but also creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs while increasing economic growth around the UK.
“Our parent company, IAG, was the first European airline group to commit to powering 10% of its flights with SAF by 2030 – purchasing one million tonnes of SAF each year, equivalent to taking a million cars off Europe’s roads every year. Projects like this one are part of our journey to that SAF target and we look forward to pushing it forward.”
