Planes could take off from British airports using fuels made from
rubbish that gets sent to landfill, under a new government
scheme.
As part of plans to promote clean alternative fuels, the
government is offering funding for projects in the UK to develop
low carbon waste-based fuels for planes and lorries, with
matching funding from industry.
The government is already planning to revolutionise the motor
industry with ultra-low emission electric cars, and now we are
going further and investing in a new generation of fuels which
will power our aircraft and lorries.
Trials of sustainable jet fuel, made from waste materials, have
taken place in Europe and North America, and now the launch of a
UK competition will see British experts conduct pioneering
research in this sector.
The Department has already had interest from more than 70 groups
in bidding for the funding.
The new fuels are chemically very similar to conventional fuels,
so can be used in existing aircraft without the need for any
engine modifications.
The low carbon transport fuels made from waste materials could be
worth £600m a year to the British economy by 2030, and could also
support up to 9,800 new jobs.
Transport Minister said:
“We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new
environmentally-friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal.
“We are making funding available to innovative businesses which
will lead the way in developing alternative fuels that are
efficient, sustainable and clean.
“We want every new car and van in the UK to be zero emission by
2040, but we know lorries and aeroplanes will rely on more
traditional fuels for years to come so we must promote
environmentally friendly alternatives.”
The £22m fund could help us deliver up to five new low carbon
fuel plants by 2021. The money is available to projects that will
produce low carbon waste-based fuels, to be used in planes and
lorries where it is not viable today to switch to electric power,
because of the large weight of the vehicles.
Planes and lorries powered by waste fuels could use up to 90 per
cent less carbon than traditional fossil fuels.
The Future Fuels for Flight and Freight competition is part of
the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out to
support evolving industries with the potential to boost the
economy.
The government is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions
by 80 per cent by 2050, and transport emissions must be slashed
if we are to meet that target.
Biofuels made from waste products could be even more sustainable
than current crop-based biofuels, already used in some road-based
vehicles.
