The UK’s first commercial waste-to-jet-fuel plant is a step closer following a resolution to grant planning permission to Altalto Immingham by North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC)’s Planning Committee.
A formal decision notice will be issued subject to standard legal agreements with NELC. All consultees have indicated their acceptance of the plan.
Plans for waste-to-jet-fuel plant on Humber Estuary
“This development cements North East Lincolnshire’s place at the heart of the UK’s green industrial revolution, an area already renowned for its fuels production and offshore wind industry,” said Cllr Philip Jackson, Leader, NELC. “For such a high-profile project to choose North East Lincolnshire just shows how competitive we are for the investment market.”
The proposed Altalto Immingham plant is to convert hundreds of thousands of tonnes per year of non-recyclable everyday household and commercial waste, otherwise destined for landfill or incineration, into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The project, a collaboration between Velocys, British Airways and Shell, is expected to create 130 permanent skilled jobs and many more during construction.
The fuel, based on technology supplied by Velocys, is claimed to offer net greenhouse gas savings of around 70 per cent for each tonne of conventional jet fuel it displaces. It would also improve air quality, with up to 90 per cent reduction in particulate matter from aircraft engine exhausts and almost 100 per cent reduction in sulphur oxides.
Henrik Wareborn, CEO at Velocys, said: “Sustainable aviation fuels are essential for decarbonising this challenging sector and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
“That’s why Velocys are calling on the government to co-ordinate policy between departments to help us fund a fleet of world leading sustainable aviation fuel facilities in the UK.”
Subject to additional funding and financial close, construction is targeted to begin in 2022, and the facility could be producing fuel from 2025.
This must surely take the biscuit award for craziest project ever.
Waste is very difficult material even to burn in power plant, because it is a non-defined material in terms of composition, sizing and wetness. A sensible chemical feedstock needs to be closely defined in all of these properties. Of all of the ways to convert cellulosic materials to alkanes, this must be the maddest ever. Green virtue signalling has clearly lost the plot.
The people who granted funds to this madness deserve a special award!
Given the comments regarding flooding at Immingham in an article about a flood defence project at Hull on the same day, this looks like a silly place to put any major new facility. Local unemployment notwithstanding.
Ye of little faith, Jack. Mura have been doing it to otherwise non-recyclable plastics for years with a pilot in Australia, without the need for drying and using lower temp supercritical water. Obviously these are heavily oil-derived, but it all comes from the ground at some point, right?
This project is not crazy at all. In fact, the technology behind it, Fisher-Tropsch synthesis, is already quite old and was used extensively in South Africa to convert coal into fuel.
Jack when I first came across this idea I thought it sounded insane and am glad to read your comment affirming that.
The other comments concerning Mura: I looked it up and their pilot plant has been a pilot plant for 12 (yes 12) years. No one seems to know if it is in any way economic.
And whilst the Fisher-Tropsch synthesis is an old technology it uses raw material as feedstock in places where such material is abundant and therefore cheap or is used where desperation is the driving force such as WW2 Germany. It is generally not economic otherwise and there are far far far more economic ways to make jet fuel than this. Still is is local authority money and the thing in abundance here is Greenwash with ample green sounding PR. Yet another reason why the geniuses that inhabit LAs should not be engaged in commerce.