The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded £181,000 through the UK Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Clearing House to four UK innovators: Avioxx, Clean Planet Technologies, Green Lizard Technologies, and Zero Petroleum.

The funding will accelerate the testing, certification, and commercialisation of next-generation sustainable aviation fuels, a key part of the UK’s strategy to decarbonise aviation.

The UK SAF Clearing House, funded by the DfT, helps SAF developers access government support, navigate qualification requirements, connect with recognised testing facilities, and speed up commercialisation.

Matthew Jee, Director of the UK SAF Clearing House, said the programme is “delighted to support a new cohort of SAF producers as they move through the critical stages of fuel qualification.

“The testing we facilitate provides the robust evidence base that producers and industry need to build confidence, unlock investment and accelerate the deployment of new fuels. These awards underline the UK SAF Clearing House’s commitment to working closely with innovators to scale sustainable aviation fuel production and deliver meaningful progress towards a more sustainable aviation sector in the UK.”

The four funding recipients described the impact of the support.

Chris Hancock, CEO of Avioxx, said the funding is “helping Avioxx prove the production of certifiable fuel using our novel process, which makes sustainable fuel from waste – a highly abundant source of energy – at a cost-competitive price to fossil-derived kerosene.”

“This latest round of funding allows us to accelerate and deepen testing of fuel from our new X25 Fischer–Tropsch reactor and continue to scale towards commercial production, the development of our first-of-a-kind 32,000-tonne-per-year SAF plant, and the definition of a new global standard for cost-effective synthetic fuel production.”

Dr Andrew Odjo, CEO of Clean Planet Technologies, said support from the Clearing House allows the company to “accelerate the validation of our innovative plastics-to-SAF technology.”

“Every molecule of virgin fossil fuel we can replace brings waste back into the value chain, reduces lifecycle carbon emissions and plastic pollution, and helps ground-breaking technologies reach commercial deployment.”

Dr Martin Atkins, CEO of Green Lizard Technologies, said the funding “recognises our low-carbon SAF, produced using our commercial scale Fischer–Tropsch process, as being the first of its kind to complete a full jet-engine test in the UK with results demonstrating exceptional performance.”

“The additional validation and testing will accelerate the commercial deployment of our technology and support Green Lizard’s mission to drive reindustrialisation and deep decarbonisation across Teesside.”

Paddy Lowe, CEO of Zero Petroleum, said the grant will “accelerate our growth timeline by supporting the rapid testing and qualification of our 100% replica Jet A-1 synthetic fuel as we prepare for fast-track approval. The DfT has shown strong commitment to scaling our technology and bringing low-carbon fuels to market.”

Sustainable aviation fuel is believed to be vital to reaching net zero emissions from aviation by 2050. Government measures include the SAF Mandate, support for first-of-a-kind production plants, and revenue certainty mechanisms. The UK SAF Clearing House aims to help producers navigate fuel testing, bolstering these efforts.