The agreement will see Jet2 invest an equity stake in the plant and expect to receive over 200 million litres of SAF over a 15-year period, expected to achieve net emissions reductions totalling around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 for Jet2 during this time.
The Fulcrum NorthPoint facility, being developed by Fulcrum BioEnergy Ltd, is a waste-to-fuels plant which will be located at the Essar Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Production of SAF is expected to commence at the plant in 2027. When at full capacity, 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste – which would otherwise have been destined for incineration or landfill – will be converted into around 100 million litres of SAF annually.
The NorthPoint plant will use Fulcrum’s proven waste-to-fuel process and will directly benefit from the IP gained from operations of its first commercial scale waste-to-fuels facility, Sierra BioFuels, situated outside of Reno Nevada in the United States.
Thanks to the strategic positioning of the plant, SAF is expected to be delivered directly to Manchester Airport using the existing jet fuel pipework infrastructure.
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Recently, the Transport Select Committee described SAF as the ‘most viable option for the immediate reduction of aviation emissions’.
The SAF produced at NorthPoint site is expected to achieve life cycle emissions reductions of approximately 70 per cent compared to conventional aviation fuel, with the future potential to be fully carbon neutral.
“Travel and tourism is a force for good and, like all industries, we know how critical it is to mitigate our climate impacts,” said Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.
“Whether investing in SAF, spending billions on our aircraft fleet, or placing a price on every tonne of carbon we emit, we are putting sustainable travel at the heart of our business.
“This type of investment is critical if we are to get this technology up to the scale required to decarbonise the industry. Our investment is a very clear demonstration that we are backing SAF and the UK production of SAF early. We are calling on the UK government to scale up its level of ambition and support for SAF production too.”
Jet2 has published a sustainability strategy setting the company on a path to net zero by 2050 in line with government targets, although the company aspires to bring this date forward.
Pledges in the strategy include making its fleet more fuel-efficient through the purchase of 98 firm ordered Airbus A320/A321 neo aircraft, which could eventually extend up to 146 aircraft.
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