ExxonMobil – Solent Cluster wins £6 million in UK Authorities funding for Fawley Sustainable Aviation Gas feasibility examine.
The Division for Transport (DfT) has awarded £6 million in funding to Esso Petroleum Firm, Restricted to evaluate the feasibility of a undertaking at its Fawley petrochemical complicated to supply sustainable aviation gas (SAF).
The funding, from the DfT’s Superior Fuels Fund (AFF), can be used to evaluate the potential SAF manufacturing utilizing ExxonMobil proprietary Methanol to Jet (MtJ) expertise. The examine will discover technical options related to the manufacturing of methanol from refuse derived gas, or the import of methanol or ethanol, its conversion to SAF and the distribution of the SAF completed product to prospects.
Biofuels and biofuel blends, like sustainable aviation gas (SAF), are anticipated to play an necessary position in serving to obtain the transition to a net-zero future.
The Superior Fuels Fund was launched by the DfT in 2022 to competitively allocate grant funding to help UK superior fuels initiatives. The award permits us to carry ahead our evaluation and assist the UK obtain its SAF ambition.
If the evaluation proves profitable, and the undertaking will get the go-ahead, Fawley might produce as much as 20 p.c of the sustainable aviation gas (SAF) anticipated to be wanted by the UK by 2030.
Fawley is already one of many UK’s main suppliers of aviation gas, delivering round 25 p.c of the whole used at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick Airports by way of Esso’s proprietary pipelines.
The SAF plant could be a part of The Solent Cluster, which brings collectively 100 non-public, public, and non-governmental organisations to cut back emissions within the Solent area and past.
Michael Foley, ExxonMobil UK Low Carbon Options enterprise lead stated:
ExxonMobil has been a trusted companion to the aviation business for over 100 years.
“This award will help efforts to develop the subsequent technology of power options for the aviation sector which have the potential to considerably cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions on a lifecycle-basis. Leveraging our manufacturing experience on the Fawley Petrochemical complicated, experience in R&D and dealing alongside different members of the Solent Cluster, this undertaking has the potential to contribute to the UK’s ambition to change into a frontrunner in internet zero emission flights,”
“It’s one other instance of the numerous ways in which The Solent Cluster might assist cut back emissions throughout the area and past.”
Over the subsequent six years, ExxonMobil plans to take a position greater than $17 billion globally on initiatives to cut back greenhouse gasoline emissions, with a big share targeted on scaling up carbon seize and storage, hydrogen, and biofuels.
To this finish, we plan to supply greater than 40,000 barrels per day of lower-emissions fuels by 2025 and we have now an extra purpose of 200,000 barrels per day by 2030.
Solent Cluster wins £6 million in UK Authorities funding for Fawley SAF feasibility examine, November 17, 2023