Johnson Matthey, bp tech chosen for Willis’s UK SAF plant

Willis Sustainable Fuels (WSF) announced that the company has chosen Johnson Matthey (JM) and bp’s Fischer Tropsch (FT) CANS™ technology for its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in Teesside, Northeast England.

“As a UK-headquartered company, we’re excited our technology has been selected to be part of this innovative UK project. With our FT CANS development and testing facilities located in Teesside, and projects like this in development, we see the North East as a leader in efforts to meet the UK SAF mandate,” said Alberto Giovanzana, managing director Licensing at Johnson Matthey.

Set to become the UK’s first facility to convert biomethane into SAF, the plant is slated to commence operations in 2028. Utilising JM’s advanced reforming technology, the facility will process biomethane feedstock into syngas, which will then be transformed into synthetic crude oil via the JM/bp FT CANS™ process.

“Partnering with Johnson Matthey and other industry leaders enables us to drive meaningful progress toward our vision of connecting the world through sustainable flight,” said Amy Ruddock, senior vice president, Sustainable Aviation & Corporate Development at Willis Lease Finance Corporation. “This pioneering project will demonstrate the potential of our Carbonshift pathway, which can leverage various sustainable feedstocks and be tailored to produce power-to-liquids—helping to shape the future of aviation fuels.”

This crude oil will subsequently be upgraded and blended to produce SAF.

The ambitious project aims to yield 14,000 tonnes of SAF blendstock annually.

WSF’s earlier received crucial financial support from the Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund – one of the five Teesside-based initiatives awarded funding in the second round of the Advanced Fuels Fund.