UK’s low-carbon aviation fuels strategy coming in late 2023, Ministers confirm

(edie.net, 17 Apr 2023) The Department for Transport (DfT) has outlined its short-term priorities for decarbonising the aviation sector, confirming a new Low-Carbon Fuels Strategy by the end of the year and deferring key decisions on hydrogen planes to 2024.

Ministers at the Department, along with senior representatives for the aviation sector, have this week published an action plan setting out priority actions to be taken under the Jet-Zero Strategy in 2023 and 2024.

A final version of the Jet-Zero Strategy was published last summer, headlined by a 2040 net-zero goal for airport operations and domestic flights, and a 2050 goal for international flights. Today’s publication sets out some of the first steps towards delivering these long-term targets.

Scaling up the supply of alternative fuels (SAFs) and ensuring that aircraft are equipped to use them in ever-increasing blend proportions is a cornerstone of the Strategy.  Today’s plan confirms that a new Low-Carbon Fuels Strategy should be published between September and December 2023, including the SAF mandate.

At present, the Government has proposed a mandate that would require at least 10% of jet fuels to be made using more sustainable feedstocks by 2030. Meeting this will require the production of 1.5 billion litres of SAFs each year.

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edie.net, 17 Apr 2023: UK’s low-carbon aviation fuels strategy coming in late 2023, Ministers confirm