US-based SAF producer becomes latest company to announce plans to open plant in Teesside

AMERICAN sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer LanzaJet has become the latest multinational company to select Teesside, northeast England, as the location for a manufacturing plant. The company said the new plant at the Wilton International industrial site will create 30 “highly skilled, long-term” jobs once it is fully operational, and “hundreds of jobs” during construction. It has not been confirmed when the plant is expected to open.

The selection of Teesside is unsurprising. LanzaJet partnered with a separate company based at Wilton, Nova Pangea Technologies, in 2021. Nova Pangea will convert biomass into ethanol which LanzaJet will then use to produce jet fuel. Teesside’s status as a freeport means feedstock imported straight into Wilton will be tariff free. The project was awarded a £9m (US$11.2m) grant by the UK government in November 2023.  

The plant is expected to produce 90,000 t/y of SAF, which LanzaJet calculates is enough to reduce net emissions by 230,000 tCO2/y.

British Airways, a partner on the project, reported emissions of 7,520,000 tCO2e in 2023.

French industrial gas company Air Liquide won a contract in December 2023 to produce SAF in Teesside and is expected to produce 125,000 t/y of fuel. US-based Willis Lease Finance Corporation, meanwhile, obtained planning permission to build a SAF plant in Teesside in September.

Jimmy Smartzis, CEO of LanzaJet, said the decision to build their SAF plant in Teesside was down to the area’s “pivotal role in the UK’s energy transition and industrial decarbonisation efforts.

“By leveraging Wilton International’s capabilities, the project enhances the region’s status as a leader in alternative energy initiatives, contributing significantly to the UK’s clean energy objectives.

“Through our collaboration with British Airways, we are building a local supply chain for SAF.”

Mike Patrick, CEO of Wilton International’s Singaporean state-owned parent Sembcorp Energy UK, said: “We look forward to partnering with LanzaJet as they play a pivotal role in transforming the aviation sector towards net zero.”

SAF savings

SAF is defined by the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) as having net emissions at least 10% lower than typical kerosene-based jet fuel, although some SAFs can make emissions savings of up to 94%. Many widely used SAFs have net emissions savings of around 80%

LanzaJet’s SAF will be produced from agricultural and forestry waste converted into ethanol. The company’s new Teesside facility is expected to produce enough SAF to reduce emissions equivalent to those from 26,000 British Airways domestic flights. Last year saw 1.98m flights – domestic or international – depart from or arrive at UK airports. A recent report from the European Federation of Transport and Environment predicted that air travel in Europe will rise until the 2040s at a faster rate than SAF uptake, thereby increasing net aviation emissions.  

Carrie Harris, director of sustainability at British Airways, said: “SAF will be crucial in helping us reach our net zero goals by 2050,” adding that the latest announcement from LanzaJet “marks significant progress towards producing UK SAF, whilst also supporting local communities and creating green jobs”.