Exolum, Europe’s leading energy logistics company, has announced its decision to invest £4.5 million in creating the UK’s first independent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blending facility at Redcliffe Bay in south-west England, as part of new plans for a UK-wide network of SAF blending hubs.
The announcement comes as the UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, which creates new subsidies for SAF production, progresses to its next stage in Parliament. SAF is a ‘drop-in’ biofuel that is blended with conventional aviation fuel and used in aeroplanes without modification, to reduce the carbon emissions of flying.
By blending customers’ SAF into Exolum’s national aviation fuel pipeline network, the investment will boost green aviation fuel supplies to airports across southern England and Wales, including those at Heathrow, Gatwick, Bristol, Exeter and Cardiff.
The company is also announcing that the facility will be the first of a new UK-wide network of SAF blending hubs it plans as part of its 2,000km pipeline network, creating a SAF Superhighway that will provide SAF producers and importers with market access to the jet fuel for 40% of flights leaving the UK’s airports.
Expected to be operational from 2026, the initial investment at Redcliffe Bay will support the greening of the equivalent of up to 64,741 flights from London to New York a year, supporting the UK’s position as a global leader in green aviation.
The plans will enable long-term green investment in SAF production plants across the UK and, in the case of Redcliffe Bay, south-west of England and southern Wales, by providing a crucial, independent route to market for when they become operational, which is expected later this decade.
Unblended SAF will initially be delivered by ships to Bristol’s Royal Portbury Dock, before being transported to Exolum’s Redcliffe Bay site by pipeline. It will then be stored and blended on-site with conventional aviation fuel, to create the ready-to-use ‘drop-in’ fuel that is then distributed by Exolum’s national pipeline system.
Exolum North West Europe Lead, Stephen Land, said: “Exolum’s investment at Redcliffe Bay is turning the UK’s ambitions for greener flights into reality, whilst helping secure the country’s world-leading position at the forefront of global sustainable aviation.
“The UK’s twin commitments to airport expansion and to increasing SAF supplies have been crucial in ensuring that, and we’re looking forward to not only supporting greener aviation but also the growth of the UK’s sustainable fuels industry.”
For more news like this, click here.
