New UK Biofuel Rules Revive BA’s Waste-to-Jet Plans

摘要

Jet fuel’s planned inclusion in the UK government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) from 2020 has revived British Airways’ plans to make jet fuel from household waste. Less than two years after scrapping its GreenSky project with Solena, the UK flag carrier now has a new technology partner in synthetic fuels firm Velocys and wants to build a new waste- to-jet plant, possibly on the same site chosen for GreenSky. “It wouldn’t be economic today without the RTFO changes,” Velocys vice president of capital projects UK and manager of the BA project Neville Hargreaves tells Jet Fuel Intelligence (JFI Sep.25’17). Proposed changes to the UK’s RTFO – to include avia- tion fuels for the first time, and encourage fuels made from waste – were published Sep. 14 after an industry-wide consultation. Parliamentary approval is expected by next April. “It’s a huge opportunity,” says Hargreaves, who admits BA and Velocys “have been bending the UK government’s ear for some time.” Not exactly a subsidy, the RTFO allows sustainable biofuel producers to make extra money selling RTFO certificates for up to 80 pence per liter - or up to ￡1.60/liter in the case of jet fuels derived from waste. So-called “development fuels” are counted twice under the new rules: Under regular RTFO targets set to rise from 4.75% currently to 9.75% in 2020 and 12.4% in 2031; and again under a subtarget set at 0.1% in 2019, rising to 2.8% in 2032. Eligible fuels must be capable of blending to at least 25%, or address a specific target area like aviation. BA lists nappies, plastic food containers and chocolate bar wrappers in its list of potential feedstocks, but Hargreaves says basically any waste – household and commercial - is suitable after processing. BA blamed a lack of UK government support, along- side falling oil prices and partner Solena’s US bankruptcy, for the failure of its ￡340 million ($456 million) GreenSky project in late 2015 (JFI Jan.11’16).