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Kent, a leading engineering and project management company, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) contract for a groundbreaking initiative spearheaded by Fulcrum BioEnergy. Fulcrum’s NorthPoint project is designed to convert approximately 600,000 tonnes of pre-processed waste into 100 million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Fulcrum BioEnergy, a prominent US-based clean energy company, has chosen Kent for this crucial project. With a focus on developing projects to produce net-zero transport fuels from waste, Fulcrum has successfully built its first plant in the United States and is now expanding internationally,
making its first commercial-scale venture in the UK.

Kent’s involvement builds upon its prior collaboration with Fulcrum, where the company provided valuable study work in the UK. The project has received a significant boost with the allocation of a UK Government Grant under the Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF).

The scope of Kent’s responsibilities encompasses engineering services, cost-estimating, identification of long lead procurement items, managing multiple licensors, and execution planning. This comprehensive approach is designed to support tendering for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) and ultimately pave the way for the project to achieve financial investment decision (FID). The physical scope includes process plant units, utilities, third-party connections, and the waste feedstock receipt facility.

Usman Darr, Kent’s UK Managing Director of Engineering, commented on the achievement, stating, “We are thrilled to be entrusted with the FEED contract for this project. This win underscores the strength and depth of our FEED capability for full process plant design. It demonstrates our ability to deliver large-scale FEED contracts competitively from our Woking office. Our experience in Waste-to-Fuels further solidifies our position as a reliable partner in sustainable energy projects”

Darr continued, “We are committed to supporting Fulcrum BioEnergy to deliver this project, which we hope will be the first of many successful collaborations with them. This project is a crucial part of the UK’s journey to Net Zero, specifically contributing to the decarbonisation of the transport
sector.

Paul Hubbard, Fulcrum BioEnergy Project Director,

“Fulcrum is pleased to be working with Kent Energies to complete the FEED engineering for our NorthPoint Waste-to-Fuels project. We look forward to working with Kent’s experienced engineering team and the successful completion of this FEED work to help ensure Fulcrum’s NorthPoint project achieves its objectives, and ultimately contributes to decarbonising aviation in line with the UK governments net zero strategies.”

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Leading leisure travel group, Jet2 plc, has today announced a major investment into a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production plant to be constructed in the North West of England – one of the first such deals in UK aviation.

The agreement will see Jet2 plc, which encompasses the award-winning leisure airline Jet2.com, and Jet2holidays, the UK’s largest tour operator, invest an equity stake in the plant and expect to receive more than 200 million litres of SAF over a 15-year period, which would be one of the longest SAF supply agreements currently.

The Fulcrum NorthPoint facility, being developed by Fulcrum BioEnergy Ltd, is a Waste-to-Fuels plant which will be located at the Essar Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Production of SAF is expected to commence at the plant in 2027, and when at full capacity 600,000 tonnes of non-recyclable household waste, which would otherwise have been destined for incineration or landfill, will be converted into around 100 million litres of SAF annually. The NorthPoint plant will use Fulcrum’s proven waste-to-fuel process and will directly benefit from the IP gained from operations of its pioneering first commercial scale waste-to-fuels facility, Sierra BioFuels, situated outside of Reno Nevada, in the United States.

The announcement means that Jet2.com, the UK’s third largest airline, will receive a significant volume of SAF produced at the plant once in operation. The SAF is expected to achieve net emissions reductions totalling around 400,000 tonnes of CO2 for Jet2.com over the 15 year period of the agreement.

The strategic positioning of the plant means that SAF is expected to be delivered directly to Manchester Airport using the existing jet fuel pipework infrastructure, rather than having to rely on transporting the fuel by the road network.

SAF is widely recognised as the best way to decarbonise aviation in the medium to long term, including recently by the Transport Select Committee which stated:

“Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are the most viable option for the immediate reduction of aviation emissions.”

The SAF produced at the NorthPoint site is expected to achieve life cycle emissions reductions of approximately 70% when compared to conventional aviation fuel, with the future potential to be fully carbon neutral.

Today’s announcement continues Jet2.com and Jet2holidays’ commitment to become one of the leading brands in sustainable air travel and package holidays. Jet2.com has previously been recognised as one of the most carbon efficient airlines globally, and the company has published a comprehensive sustainability strategy setting the company on a path to net zero by 2050, in line with Government targets, though the company aspires to bring this date
forward.

Pledges in the strategy include the purchase of 98 firm ordered Airbus A320/A321 neo aircraft, which could eventually extend up to 146 aircraft, which will make travelling with Jet2.com and Jet2holidays more efficient by further reducing emissions per passenger.

This is on top of other tangible actions, such as Jet2.com’s carbon offsetting scheme, one of the largest such schemes of any airline globally. This scheme has meant that, since January 2022, Jet2.com has paid for every tonne of carbon emitted.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays said: “Travel and tourism is a force for good and, like all industries, we know how critical it is to mitigate our climate impacts. This significant investment into Fulcrum NorthPoint’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel production in the UK shows not only how seriously we take that responsibility, but also how committed we are to taking tangible actions to address it. Not only will this action help to lower our climate
impacts, but it represents a major step forward in our transition to net zero too. Whether investing in SAF, spending billions on our aircraft fleet, or placing a price on every tonne of carbon we emit, we are putting sustainable travel at the heart of our business. By doing this, our customers know they are travelling with an airline and holiday company that takes its environmental impact seriously and takes substantial action to address it too.”

He added: “This type of investment is critical if we are to get this technology up to the scale required to decarbonise the industry. Our investment is a very clear demonstration that we are backing SAF and the UK production of SAF early. We are calling on the UK government to scale up its level of ambition and support for SAF production too. Doing this will help achieve decarbonisation of the aviation sector, stimulate uptake and seize the enormous
economic opportunity here in the UK.”

Jeff Ovens, Managing Director at Fulcrum BioEnergy UK, said: “This strategic, project level investment by Jet2 plc demonstrates clear commitment to the development of a UK SAF industry and further underpins Fulcrum’s leading position in the global waste-to-SAF industry. Fulcrum values this new partnership with Jet2, and we look forward to working together to successfully develop Fulcrum NorthPoint and bring low carbon jet fuel to Jet2’s increasingly fuel-efficient aircraft fleet.”

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The UK took another step towards net zero carbon emissions and helping its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry to take flight as government awarded 5 projects a share of the £165 million Advanced Fuels Fund.

The successful projects include SAF plants in Teesside, Immingham and Ellesmere Port which will convert everyday household and commercial waste, such as black bin bags, into sustainable jet fuel.

Other successful projects include a SAF plant in Port Talbot which will convert steel mill off-gases into sustainable jet fuel and the early development of a SAF plant using carbon capture and hydrogen made from renewable electricity.

Building on the success of the green fuels, green skies programme, the 5 projects alone will produce over 300,000 tonnes of SAF a year – enough to fly to the moon and back an estimated 60 times.

The successful projects will also slash CO2 emissions by an average of 200,000 tonnes each year once fully up and running – the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Using waste or by-products to refuel airliners sounds like a flight of fancy, but thanks to £165 million of government funding it’s going to help us make guilt-free flying a reality.

“It’s exactly this kind of innovation that will help us create thousands of green jobs across the country and slash our carbon emissions.”

The winners of the Advanced Fuel Fund are based across the UK – from the north of England to south Wales, and will create thousands of skilled, green jobs.

Launched alongside the Jet Zero strategy in July 2022, the Advanced Fuel Fund is designed to support our vision to be a world leader in sustainable aviation fuel by accelerating the development of SAF production plants in the UK, helping the government to achieve its aim of having at least 5 commercial SAF plants under construction in the UK by 2025.

Tim Alderslade, Chief Executive of Airlines UK, said: “The jet zero strategy was a real statement of intent from government that aviation, without the carbon, is an achievable end goal by 2050. This £165 million of funding – alongside the 10% SAF mandate by 2030 shows the government shares our ambition of a home-grown SAF industry here in the UK.

This could generate tens of thousands of jobs and huge GVA, levelling-up and exports potential for the UK. It’s a big prize and one we are committed to working with ministers to achieve.”

Jeff Ovens, Managing Director, Fulcrum BioEnergy said:

“Fulcrum is very excited and grateful to have been awarded funding from the UK DfT’s Advanced Fuels Fund, to help develop our ‘Fulcrum NorthPoint’ residual waste to SAF plant, at Stanlow, UK. This funding will help Fulcrum build on the technical knowledge and experience the company has gained
from well over a decade of project development and the early operations of its US based, ‘Sierra BioFuels’ plant – the world’s first waste to sustainable hydrocarbon fuels facility.

Alongside the operational experience gained from Sierra, this DfT funding will further help de-risk the NorthPoint project and target ‘investor ready’ status, in preparation for construction start in 2025 and operations in 2027.”

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Manchester Airport will become the first in the UK to have a direct feed of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) thanks to a partnership between Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Fulcrum BioEnergy Limited UK (Fulcrum).

MAG – the owner of Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fulcrum, which will support the development and delivery of SAF produced at a new waste to fuels biorefinery, in Stanlow, Cheshire.

As part of the agreement – backed by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng – SAF will be supplied to Manchester Airport through a pipeline that already runs between Stanlow and the UK’s third largest gateway.

Fulcrum is a pioneer in the conversion of non-recyclable residual wastes into sustainable fuels. The new biorefinery, Fulcrum NorthPoint, is part of wider plans to establish the North West as the leading producer of SAF in the UK.

The partnership will also work to support a sustainable recovery from the pandemic, promoting green skills and jobs across the . Research by E4Tech in a Sustainable Aviation publication from 2020, showed that a North West SAF cluster could generate up to 1,520 jobs and £219m GVA annually in the North West and a total of 6,500 jobs and £929m GVA annually across the UK.

Fulcrum and MAG’s partnership will work to deliver on the opportunity SAF presents to decarbonise the aviation industry and could see up to 10% of the fuel used by aircraft at Manchester Airport replaced with SAF within five years of the Fulcrum NorthPoint facility becoming operational. The partnership will provide airlines operating from Manchester Airport – the UK’s third busiest airport – the ability to use SAF to help toward the decarbonisation of their flights.

Neil Robinson, MAG CSR and Airspace Change Director said: “Today really is a landmark moment in our journey towards a decarbonised aviation sector. By working towards a future supply of SAF, direct to Manchester Airport via existing pipelines from a local refinery, we’re making sustainable operations accessible for airlines based here.”

“The introduction of SAF is testament to the innovation we have seen, and the collaboration between airports, airlines, the Government and suppliers like Fulcrum to achieve real progress towards our goal of Net Zero for UK aviation by 2050.”

“We are committed to ensuring that this progress continues through our role on the Government’s Jet Zero Council, on Sustainable Aviation and through our own targets in our CSR Strategy where we’re working to becoming Net Zero at our airports by 2038.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:

“This partnership is a huge leap forward for the long-term competitiveness of Britain’s aerospace sector, demonstrating how, by going green, industry can create jobs and help level up across the UK.”

“Cleaner aerospace and aviation is at the centre of our plans to end the UK’s contribution to climate change by 2050. That is why we are backing sustainable aviation fuel with £180 million of support and working with industry to turbocharge low carbon aerospace innovation with £3.9 billion.”

Fulcrum NorthPoint will produce approximately 100 million litres of SAF per year – which when blended 50/50 with traditional jet fuel, could fill the fuel tanks of approximately 1,200 Boeing 777-300s. The fuel produced will have a CO2 footprint at least 70% lower than that of its traditional jet fuel equivalent and will be produced from residual household and commercial wastes, which would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration.

Once blended and certified, the SAF can be used in aircraft without the need for modifications. Today’s announcement comes after MAG published its annual CSR Report last week detailing the Group’s work over the last 12 months in tackling climate change.

MAG also announced that it is now offering passengers at all three of its airports the opportunity to offset their flight emissions in partnership with CarbonClick to support sustainability projects in the UK and abroad.

Jeff Ovens, Fulcrum Bioenergy Limited UK Managing Director said:

“Support for SAF in the UK has reached new heights and the development of the Fulcrum NorthPoint SAF facility in Cheshire will bring significant volumes of much needed low carbon fuel for airlines, either those based here in the UK, or flying in from overseas.”

“Our partnership with MAG as an airport operator will bridge airlines and fuel suppliers and make SAF accessible and more widespread within the sector. This collaboration will also support our ambition to cementing the North West as a centre for excellence for SAF in the UK, driving forward the Prime Minister’s 10 point plan for an industrial revolution.”

“The aviation industry is working hard towards the Net Zero 2050 target, and through our joint work on the Jet Zero Council alongside the Government, SAF will play an integral role in achieving it.”

MAG has been an industry leader in driving the decarbonisation of aviation, becoming the first airport group in the UK to be certified as carbon neutral in 2016 and is one of only two airport operators to sit on the Government’s Jet Zero Council.

The Group was also a founding member of industry sustainability coalition Sustainable Aviation in 2005 and helped to spearhead the adoption of the world’s first decarbonisation road-map for achieving net zero emissions from UK aviation by 2050. SAF will be one of the key mechanisms for achieving this target, alongside the introduction of more efficient aircraft technology and air traffic management changes.

MAG’s partnership with Fulcrum also follows the announcement last year of a competition to offer five years of free landing charges to the first zero emission flight from a MAG airport, valued at over £1m, demonstrating the Group’s commitment to the decarbonisation of the wider aviation sector.

MAG is the UK’s largest group of airports and will also use its new partnership with Fulcrum to explore opportunities to supply SAF to its other two airports at London Stansted and East Midlands.

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