Jet2 is to invest in a new sustainable aviation fuel production plant which is to be constructed in the North West.
The agreement will see Jet2 plc, which encompasses the award-winning leisure airline Jet2.com, and Jet2holidays, invest an equity stake in the plant and expect to receive more than 200 million litres of SAF over a 15-year period.
The Fulcrum NorthPoint facility, being developed by Fulcrum BioEnergy, is a waste-to-fuels plant which will be located at the Essar Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
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In December 2022, Fulcrum BioEnergy was awarded almost £17m for its development.
The plant is expected to be operational in 2027 and produce 83.7kt/y of SAF when at full capacity.
The project is developing a commercial-scale plant that uses gasification and Fischer-Tropsch to convert black bin bag waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: "Travel and tourism is a force for good and, like all industries, we know how critical it is to mitigate our climate impacts.
"This significant investment into Fulcrum NorthPoint’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel production in the UK shows not only how seriously we take that responsibility, but also how committed we are to taking tangible actions to address it.
"Not only will this action help to lower our climate impacts, but it represents a major step forward in our transition to net zero too. 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.
"By doing this, our customers know they are travelling with an airline and holiday company that takes its environmental impact seriously and takes substantial action to address it too."
He added: "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.
"Doing this will help achieve decarbonisation of the aviation sector, stimulate uptake and seize the enormous economic opportunity here in the UK."
Jeff Ovens, managing director at Fulcrum BioEnergy UK, added: "This strategic, project level investment by Jet2 plc demonstrates clear commitment to the development of a UK SAF industry and further underpins Fulcrum’s leading position in the global waste-to-SAF industry.
"Fulcrum values this new partnership with Jet2, and we look forward to working together to successfully develop Fulcrum NorthPoint and bring low carbon jet fuel to Jet2’s increasingly fuel-efficient aircraft fleet."
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