The Government is in a position to help the UK become a leading player in environment-friendly aircraft-fuel technology, according to the Sustainable Aviation (SA) consortium.
A report by the industry body, which represents the country’s aerospace manufacturers, airlines and airports, identifies the potential for a 24% reduction in aviation CO2 emissions by 2050 and the creation of 4,400 jobs in the UK over the next 15 years. However, the SA says that “Government support will be vital to achieve this potential”.
The organisation’s Roadmap report argues that extending incentives available to producers of fuel for road transport to aircraft would result in increased investment in ‘green’ fuel in the UK. Under the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), suppliers of ‘green’ fuel receive an ‘incentive’ of up to £190 per tonne. The cost of this incentive is passed on to major users of fuel.
Jonathon Counsell, chairman of SA and British Airways’ head of environment, said: “Changing policy would not cost the Government. We are not asking for a tax break, we are asking for the RTFO to be extended to cover sustainable aviation fuel in line with roads. It would level the playing field and remove the disincentive to invest.”
Mr Counsell said that British Airways and its partner Solena Fuels is looking to build a plant on the site of the former Coryton oil refinery in Essex that would produce sustainable fuel from landfill waste. However, “the unequal treatment of aviation” is preventing the project from getting off the ground. The plant would use 500,000 tonnes of landfill waste to produce 100,000 tonnes of sustainable fuel a year, split equally between road and aviation fuel, Mr Counsell said.
The SA says the UK is “well-placed” for the development of sustainable fuels, with the world’s second-largest aerospace sector and conventional refineries that are closing down providing sites and skilled workforces. With backing from the Green Investment Bank and Government policy encouraging research in the sector, the SA estimates there could be around 12 ‘green’ fuel plants in the UK by 2030.