Four SAF firms bag £181,000 funding from DfT
The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) announced £181,000 in funding for four UK companies including Avioxx, Clean Planet Technologies, Green Lizard Technologies and Zero Petroleum through the Clearing House.
This investment is meant to accelerate testing, certification and commercialisation of next-generation SAF four the project developers.
The UK SAF Clearing House supports development, testing, qualification and production of SAF. It helps SAF innovators access government funding, provides guidance on qualification requirements, connects them to recognised testing facilities, and acts as a collaborative forum to accelerate commercialisation.
“The UK SAF Clearing House is delighted to support a new cohort of SAF producers as they move through the critical stages of fuel qualification. The testing we facilitate provides the robust evidence base that producers and industry need to build confidence, unlock investment and accelerate the deployment of new fuel,” said Matthew Jee, UK SAF Clearing House Director.
Statements from the four winners:
Chris Hancock, CEO of Avioxx: “The DfT’s support is helping Avioxx prove the production of certifiable fuel using our novel process, which makes sustainable fuel from waste – a highly abundant source of energy – at a cost-competitive price to fossil-derived kerosene.
“This latest round of funding allows us to accelerate and deepen testing of fuel from our new X25 Fischer–Tropsch reactor and continue to scale towards commercial production, the development of our first-of-a-kind 32,000-tonne-per-year SAF plant, and the definition of a new global standard for cost-effective synthetic fuel production.”
Dr Andrew Odjo, CEO of Clean Planet Technologies: “We are delighted to be supported by the UK SAF Clearing House programme, enabling us to accelerate the validation of our innovative plastics-to-SAF technology. Every molecule of virgin fossil fuel that we can replace with our oils brings waste back into the value chain and significantly reduces lifecycle carbon emissions and plastic pollution.
“The UK is at the forefront of advanced fuels, and this support helps ground-breaking technologies like ours reach commercial deployment. We’re proud to contribute to the future of sustainable aviation and to the UK’s Net Zero ambitions whilst removing waste plastics from the environment.”
Dr Martin Atkins, CEO of Green Lizard Technologies: “Green Lizard Technologies is delighted to receive funding from the DfT through the UK SAF Clearing House programme. This support recognises our low-carbon SAF, produced using our commercial-scale Fischer–Tropsch (FT) process, as being the first of its kind to complete a full jet-engine test in the UK, with results demonstrating exceptional performance.
“The additional validation and testing enabled by this funding will accelerate the commercial deployment of our technology, supporting Green Lizard’s mission to drive reindustrialisation and deep decarbonisation across Teesside.”
Paddy Lowe, CEO of Zero Petroleum: “We are thrilled to receive funding from the UK SAF Clearing House and DfT to help advance our 100% replica Jet A-1 synthetic fuel (eSAF) development. This grant will accelerate our growth timeline by supporting the rapid testing and qualification of our fuel as we prepare for fast-track approval through ASTM.
“We are grateful for the ongoing support from UK Government for the commercialisation of our pioneering synthetic fuel technology. Through both the UK SAF Clearing House and Advanced Fuels Fund, DfT have shown strong commitment to scaling our technology and bringing low-carbon fuels to market.”