Teesside-based Nova Pangaea Technologies is the company behind a technology which it says can convert non-food agricultural waste and wood residues into a second-generation bioethanol, “a crucial precursor to SAF”.
IAG said its investment will support the development of NPT’s first commercial-scale production facility, named ‘NOVAONE,’ which is set to become the “UK’s first of its kind”.
Construction is expected to commence later this year, and the facility is expected to produce biofuels by 2025, “generating significant employment opportunities” in the North-East region.
Luis Gallego, IAG’s chief executive, said: “Sustainable Aviation Fuel is the only realistic option for long haul airlines to decarbonise, which is why investment in this area is so critical. At IAG, we have set a goal to use 10% SAF by 2030. And we are not just buying SAF, we are willing to invest in developing the industry, but we need governments in the UK and Europe to act now to encourage further investment.”
Commitment
IAG highlighted that the investment is part of the company’s broader commitment to using SAF, with an investment program that amounted to $865 million at the end of 2022 for future SAF purchases and investments. IAG has already secured agreements for 250,000 tonnes of SAF, representing 25% of its target to reach one million tonnes of SAF by 2030.
Sarah Ellerby, chief executive of Nova Pangaea Technologies, said: “This is a transformational milestone, and a real endorsement of the crucial work Nova Pangaea Technologies is doing. We are delighted to be adding IAG – one of the foremost names in the aviation industry – to our shareholder register.
“Our facility will be the UK’s first commercial plant of its kind, and it will play a crucial role in decarbonising the aviation sector, as well as providing local employment opportunities. We are confident of beginning construction later this year and producing second-generation biofuels by 2025.”
Interest in the sustainable aviation fuel is growing, and there have even been some concerns that it could potentially impact Energy from Waste plants (see letsrecycle.com story).
Project
The move follows an agreement signed between British Airways, LanzaJet and Nova Pangea in November 2022 to “accelerate Project Speedbird”.
The project was an initiative created by the companies in 2021 to develop cost-effective sustainable aviation fuel for commercial use in the UK.
Project Speedbird was initially launched by the three companies in 2021 and was granted nearly £500,000 by the Department for Transport’s Green Fuels, Green Skies competition to fund an initial feasibility study for the early-stage development of the project.
Project Speedbird would produce 82,000 tonnes of SAF per year, with British Airways intending to purchase all SAF produced at the facility to help power some of its flights. The SAF produced at the facility would reduce CO2 emissions, on a net lifecycle basis, by 230,000 tonnes per year. This is the equivalent of approximately 26,000 British Airways domestic flights, based on the calculated average UK domestic route from 2019 data.
Investment
British Airways has tried to generate SAF from waste in the past.
In 2010, it teamed up with Solena Energy for gasification plant planned east London, which aimed 500,000 tonnes of waste per year into 16 million gallons of green jet fuel but the project didn’t get off the ground (see letsrecycle.com story).
It has always teamed up with Velocys to develop the Immingham SAF facility that could convert up to 500,000 tonnes of commercial solid waste into fuel for planes and cars each year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Register for free to comment