Seven projects receive UK Government grants to develop proposals for advanced fuels production plants



Type of post: NEWS.

The Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition (F4C) was launched on the 27 April 2017 by the Department for Transport (DfT) of the UK Government to promote the development of an advanced low carbon fuels industry. The competition will provide up to 20 M£ in capital grant funding over 3 years (2018-21). Through the scheme, DfT aims to increase domestic production of advanced low carbon fuels and contribute to decarbonise aviation and HGV sectors.

Figure 1. F4C will contribute to decarbonise aviation and HGV sectors in UK

Stage 1: Project Development

In the first stage, the F4C provides up to 2 M£ of Project Development Funding in 2018 to support the preparation of proposals.

The successful bids are the following:

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Johnson Matthey Plc
BioFT Demonstration Project
Kerosene, diesel and petrol substitutes
178,000

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Kew Projects Limited
Integrated ATC & F-T Demonstration Plant
Diesel substitute
312,300

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
LanzaTech
Sustainable Aviation Fuel From Waste-Based Ethanol
Kerosene and diesel substitutes
410,000
The project is aimed to construct the world’s first large scale Alcohol to Jet (ATJ) facility producing commercial quantities of fuel in the UK. The commercial plant would convert low carbon ethanol produced from waste emissions to jet fuel.
The grant will be used towards a feasibility study for the project.
It includes partners from several sectors:
- Aviation: Virgin Atlantic; Boeing; SkyNRG; Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
- Steel mill: ArcelorMittal.
- Technical: Air BP, World Fuel Services, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
- Sustainability: Ecofys; Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials; Cerulogy.
- Site: Tata Steel UK; Greenergy.
See press release, 4/7/2018.

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Progressive Energy Limited
BioSNG to HGV: 1,000 Vehicles
Synthetic natural gas
175,960
Progressive Energy, Advanced Plasma Power and National Grid have embarked on a project to transform waste into Bio Substitute Natural Gas (BioSNG) using Gasplasma® technology.
BioSNG can provide a substitute for natural gas in the UK grid, providing renewable heat and power through existing infrastructure.

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Rika Biogas Technologies
Straw to Liquid Biomethane (LBM) Demonstration Plant   
Liquid biomethane
103,034

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Standard Gas
Standard Gas SNG
Synthetic natural gas
178,000

Lead Organisation
Project Title
Fuel type
Funding (£)
Velocys Technologies
Velocys Waste to Jet Fuel Project
Kerosene and petrol substitutes
434,000
The proposed plant will take hundreds of thousands of tons per year of post-recycled waste, destined for landfill or incineration, and convert it into clean-burning, sustainable fuels.
The jet fuel produced is expected to deliver over 70% greenhouse gas reduction and 90% reduction in particulate matter emissions compared with conventional jet fuel.
The project is being developed with the financial and technical support of Shell and British Airways.
Next stage includes detailed pre-FEED (Front End Engineering and Design) engineering study and site permitting activities, fully funded by a combination of the F4C grant and 4.5 M£ committed by the industry partners including Velocys.
It is expected to reach a final investment decision in the first half of 2020.
See press release, 18/6/2018.

Stage 2: Capital Funding

Applicants that have received Stage 1 funding will be invited to apply for a share of a further 20 M£ million Stage 2 funding to help with construction. The Stage 2 assessment will take place in December 2018 and the successful applicants will be announced in early 2019.

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