Willis Sustainable Fuels, Green Finance Institute launch SAF accelerator

Willis Sustainable Fuels and the Green Finance Institute have announced a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) Project Accelerator to bring WSF’s SAF project at Wilton International in Teesside to final investment decision.

“This partnership with the GFI is a vital step in demonstrating the commercial viability of SAF projects in the UK,” said Amy Ruddock, director, Willis Sustainable Fuels. “Together, we aim to create a blueprint for financing solutions that will accelerate the transition to low-carbon aviation.”

The accelerator will also establish a blueprint for financing new homegrown transition projects.

WSF’s Teesside project is targeting 14,000 tonnes of production per year by converting mainly UK biomethane into SAF.

This project has been funded £7.6m through two rounds of the UK Government’s Advanced Fuels Fund.

However, the company needs to address risks including technology performance, feedstock, and price/revenue certainty for financiers to achieve FID.

Green Finance Institute, an independent advisor to governments and investors, will help the project reach FID. The institute has a track record of mobilising £77bn in committed capital to drive the transition and as a key adviser in shaping the UK’s SAF mandate,

“Our collaboration with WSF exemplifies how strategic partnerships across the value chain can unlock investment for innovative technologies,” said Dr. Rhian-Mari Thomas, CEO at GFI. “By launching this accelerator approach, we aim to scale SAF production to support the UK’s ambitions for a homegrown SAF industry.”

The key objectives of the accelerator include developing innovative financing and de-risking strategies for SAF infrastructure, identifying regulatory and financial gaps that, convening private- and public-sector solutions and establishing a replicable model for investable clean-energy infrastructure.