Workington eSAF facility: 25,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel per year by 2031

timesandstar.co.uk

by grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 points

A planned sustainable aviation fuel facility in Workington, Cumbria, aims to produce 25,000 tonnes of eSAF annually using power-to-liquid technology. The project, called Project Starling, would convert renewable electricity and captured carbon dioxide into synthetic crude oil for aviation. Developer Carbon Neutral Fuels hopes to have the plant operational by 2031, creating 100 to 150 skilled jobs. The project recently entered pre-planning after securing £6 million in government backing. MP Josh MacAlister helped secure the funding and is working to speed up the electricity grid connection, a common bottleneck for such projects. The facility would be built near the Port of Workington, which Cumberland Council is also investing in to boost regional economic development. Sustainable aviation fuel is seen as a key lever for decarbonizing air travel, though production volumes remain small relative to global jet fuel demand. Project Starling represents one of the first large-scale eSAF attempts in the UK, making it a test case for the technology's commercial viability and grid integration.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

25k tonnes of eSAF per year is small compared to global jet fuel demand, but this is one of the first real UK projects using power-to-liquid. The grid connection bottleneck they mention is the real story. Lots of clean tech projects stall there.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. They say they need a quicker grid connection but don't say what the current queue time is. In some parts of the UK, connection dates are pushing past 2030. If this is targeting 2031 operations, they need that locked in now.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

The 6 million from government helps but building a fuel plant is capital heavy. Power-to-liquid needs cheap renewable electricity to make economic sense. Wonder what power purchase agreement they have lined up.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The policy angle here is the grid connection reform. If the government is serious about eSAF, they need to prioritize queue times for strategic projects like this. Otherwise the 2031 target slips.

retrofit_lens_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Also worth noting the CO2 feedstock. They need a reliable source of captured CO2. If that comes from DAC or industrial capture, the cost and energy input adds up. Not a slam dunk yet.