British Airways chairman and chief executive Alex Cruz has told of his delight at the progress being made with a Europe-leading green jet fuel plant on the South Humber Bank.
A planning application for the scheme that would see hundreds of millions of pounds invested in infrastructure to convert waste on a commercial scale has now been lodged by the joint venture Altalto Immingham Ltd. Clean-burning aviation fuel would be produced from everyday waste using proprietary technology developed by Oxford University spin-off Velocys.
BA and Shell have also invested in the collaboration, with the sprawling site selected because of the oil industry expertise and infrastructure in the area.
Mr Cruz, overseeing the airline's centenary year, said: “The submission of the planning application marks a major milestone in this project and we are delighted with the progress being made. Sustainable fuels can be a game changer for aviation which will help power our aircraft for years to come.
“This development is an important step in the reduction of our carbon emissions and meeting the industry targets of carbon neutral growth from 2020, and a 50 per cent in CO2 reduction by 2050 from 2005 levels. It also brings the 海角视频 another step closer to becoming a global leader in sustainable aviation fuels.”
The proposal is for Stallingborough’s Hobson Way, a site primed for economic development with road access being improved as part of the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme from submission-receiving authority North East Lincolnshire Council.
Henrik Wareborn, chief executive of project leader Velocys – recently energised by a £7 million share issue – said: “Velocys has a solution to decarbonise aviation fuel by converting an unwanted feedstock – household and commercial solid waste – to create a highly valuable product: sustainable transport fuels.
“This will cut greenhouse gas emissions from aviation, as well as improving air quality and helping to tackle our waste problem. This is a vital step towards the ultimate goal of living in a net zero carbon world by the middle of the century.”
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The transition represents a reduction of net greenhouse gases by 70 per cent compared to the fossil fuel equivalent – equal to taking up to 40,000 cars per year off the road. The fuel also improves air quality, with up to 90 per cent reduction in particulate matter, soot, from aircraft engine exhausts and almost 100 per cent reduction in sulphur oxides. It is also seen as improving 海角视频 fuel supply resilience, with more than 70 per cent of jet fuel currently imported.
A total of 130 jobs will be created, with many more in construction.
Proposals were first revealed in December, but the progress made in the past nine months is built on 15 years of work, including the acquisition of a complementary US company in 2008.
Velocys has assembled all the technology components into a standardised integrated design. It also supplies the central processing unit, microchannel Fischer-Tropsch reactors with the proprietary Velocys Actocat catalyst. This is the part of the process that turns a gas mixture of carbon and hydrogen into the liquid hydrocarbons required to create the sustainable fuels.
Having now demonstrated its technology at commercial scale, Velocys is currently developing the 海角视频 project alongside another in Natchez, Mississippi, USA.
Over half a million tonnes of household and commercial waste could be taken in annually, diverting it from landfill or incineration.
British Airways intends to purchase jet fuel produced for use in its aircraft, with Shell intending to purchase both jet fuel and road fuel from Altalto, which may then be blended and sold to Shell’s customers, helping to reduce their carbon footprint.
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Shell will also provide technical expertise.
Subject to planning and funding decisions, construction could begin in 2021, with commercial production underway in 2024.