Nova Pangaea Technologies says a new agreement with British Airways and sustainable fuels firm LanzaJet will bring further investment and a boost to an aviation fuel project.
The clean tech company, which converts discarded biomass material into other products using its REFNOVA process, will receive funding from British Airways owner IAG to support development work. Redcar-based Nova Pangaea is looking to decarbonise the aviation industry.
As part of the Project Speedbird consortium, the firm is aiming to create the UK’s first sustainable aviation fuels facility that uses agricultural and wood waste taken from sustainable sources. Last year the project secured £500,000 from the Department for Transport's Green Fuels, Green Skies competition and now it is seeking additional money from the Advanced Fuels Fund grant.
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If successful, the project will culminate in a facility – earmarked to be built in the North East – which would produce 102 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel each year from 2026. All of that fuel would be taken by British Airways for its fleet, a plan which comes on the back of the Department for Transport's net zero strategy which requires at least 10% of UK jet fuel to be sustainable aviation fuel by 2030.
Sarah Ellerby, CEO at Nova Pangaea Technologies, said: "This project will deliver the first end-to-end, sustainable value chain from agricultural and wood waste to SAF in the UK. It will undoubtedly play a very important role in the growing momentum towards decarbonising our aviation sector.
"The support from British Airways is a vote of huge confidence in our technology and will accelerate its commercialisation. In July, the UK Government announced its Jet Zero strategy signalling a SAF mandate of 10% of all UK flights to run on SAF by 2030. This agreement is another significant step towards meeting this mandate in the UK. Our aim is to help the UK become a global leader in the end-to-end SAF market, with consequent benefits to employment and business activity.”
Carrie Harris, director of Sustainability at British Airways, said: "Project Speedbird is another great step towards our mission to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner and achieve our target of using SAF for 10% of our fuel by 2030. SAF is in high demand but in short supply across the globe and so it is essential that we scale up its production as quickly as possible.
"With further investment and continued government support, Speedbird will be a key and pioneering project in the production of SAF here in the UK. The biochar carbon removal opportunities are another important aspect of this impressive innovative project that can contribute to our net zero action. We are delighted to be a part of this important project, illustrating how we’re putting sustainability at the heart of our business with our BA Better World sustainability programme.”
Jimmy Samartzis, CEO at LanzaJet, said: "The UK is a critical market in the decarbonization of the aviation industry, and this partnership brings together the full value chain from agricultural and wood waste to finished Sustainable Aviation Fuel and use by British Airways. As the UK sits at an inflection point in its quest to decarbonize, Project Speedbird represents historical significance with an eye toward the future.
"This is about impact – on the economy, on energy security, and on climate. We appreciate the DfT’s support as we scale-up, continue to improve capital and process efficiency, and enable production and use of SAF at a time when immediate action is needed.”
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