The projects were each given a share of the Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund. The full fund total stood at £135 million before the latest funding round.
Funding is targeted at companies looking to convert waste materials and by-products – such as household waste – into fuels. Winning projects spanned across the country from the Orkney Islands to the north of England and south Wales.
As a result of the funding, the DfT expects up to 10,000 jobs to be created by 2035 and the economy to receive a £1.8 billion boost every year.
This round’s winning projects include a demo plant converting sawmill and forestry waste and a commercial plant using technology to convert CO2 and green hydrogen into plane fuel.
The DfT said the UK could soon have the capabilities to produce up to 810,000 tons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – enough to fly around the equator of Earth an estimated 3,108 times.
It added that the Advanced Fuel Fund is helping the aviation sector achieve the upcoming SAF mandate requiring at least 10% of jet fuel to come from sustainable feedstocks by 2030.
Tim Alderslade, Airlines UK chief executive, said: “Delivering a UK SAF industry this decade is a must if we are to drive down emissions from aviation, meet our 10% SAF mandate and reduce costs for consumers. We welcome this latest funding announcement, which will support a number of innovative projects across all parts of the UK.
“The pieces of the puzzle are coming together but more work is needed, in particular to deliver the initial plants under construction by 2025, whilst keeping overall transition costs as low as possible for passengers, so air travel can continue to be enjoyed by all in the decades to come.”
