A new plan around increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been announced by the UK Government and this plan states that the increase should be up to 10% of the total UK jet fuel demand by 2030. However, this plan also relies on the availability of SAF feedstock.

It has been agreed that in August, Wastefront a Norwegian company, will begin construction on one of the largest tire-to-waste facilities within Europe. This facility is based at the Port of Sunderland and it will operate through converting waste tires into tire-derived oil (TDO) and then will proceed to process TDO into SAF. So far, the goal is for TDO production to commence in 2026 and from this point, when the facility has reached full capacity, it will then start to process an estimated ten million waste tires on an annual basis. This means that a large amount of tires will be prevented from going to landfill or being incinerated.

At the start of the process, the TDO that is produced in Sunderland will go into being co-processed into road transportation fuel or SAF within third-party refineries. Once this process is complete, the next stage of converting this product in SAF within dedicated facilities will take place.

CEO of Wastefront, Vianney Vales, commented, “The SAF mandate is hugely significant for the UK aviation industry and a clarion call for the North East. Working alongside our partners at the Port of Sunderland, we are on a pathway to bring ultra-low-cost sustainable aviation fuels to market. With production expected to commence in 2026, our plant in Sunderland will be leading a new generation of pathways to clean transport fuels. Not only do we aid the UK’s transition to sustainable air travel, we also address the growing problem of waste tires in the UK. Our facility represents a significant investment in the region and will create scores of highly skilled jobs.”