UK mulls biojet mandate by 2025

The UK government will consult on a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate and will invest £20mn ($26.5mn) to develop clean maritime technology as part of efforts to decarbonise.

The government said it will take "immediate steps to drive the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels," through a £15mn ($20mn) competition to support production of the product, which is also known as biojet. It will invest in development of zero-emission aircraft and establish a biojet clearing house to enable certification of new fuels.

A SAF mandate could start in 2025, the government said.

This could provide impetus for existing moves in the country. A public-private partnership called the Jet Zero Council has been established to promote development of biojet, and industry group Sustainable Aviation has committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and to boost SAF development.

In the maritime sector, the government will invest in a demonstration programme to develop clean technology. The UK already operates a hydrogen ferry trial in Orkney, Scotland, and plans a hydrogen refuelling port in Teesside.

These investments could result in savings of up to 1mn t CO2e by 2032 from the maritime industry and around 15mn t CO2e by 2050 from biojet, the government said without providing details.

By Giulia Squadrin