P66 to start SAF production in UK

US refiner Phillips 66 will start producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its 230,000 b/d UK Humber refinery, and will supply the country's flagship airline British Airways (BA).

The SAF will be produced from waste feedstock, the firms said today, and it will be delivered through an existing pipeline directly to UK airports. This is the first SAF production hub in the UK of this scale.

"We are currently refining almost half a million litres of sustainable waste feedstocks a day, and this is just a start," Phillips 66 chief executive Darren Cunningham said. "Markets for lower-carbon products are growing, and this agreement demonstrates our ability to supply them."

The refiner has said it plans to produce "thousands of tonnes" of SAF, with capacity to increase production.

BA will start using the SAF on some of its aircraft by next year, and will purchase enough to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by nearly 100,000t.

The airline's chief executive Sean Doyle said scaling up SAF production "requires a truly collaborative approach between industry and government."

The UK government has begun consultation on a SAF mandate to start in 2025, proposing up to 10pc SAF by 2030 and up to 75pc by 2050. P66 and BA said they support the mandate, and both plan to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

BA earlier this week announced an agreement with SAF producer Aemetis for delivery of blended jet fuel - of which 40pc will be SAF and 60pc conventional jet fuel - to the Oneworld airline group, of which BA is a member.

BA's parent company International Airlines Group plans to invest $400mn over the next 20 years into the development of SAF, and recently announced an agreement with SAF producer Velocys.

By Bea O'Kelly