General FAQs
Lighthouse Green Fuels is a waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project, which will convert waste and/or waste biomass into aviation fuel at the Project Site, Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, UK.
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are renewable or waste-derived aviation fuels that meets strict sustainability criteria.[1] SAF can be made from renewable sources such as used cooking oil, municipal waste or agricultural residues to name a few. It is a safe, proven fuel. SAF derived from waste and/or waste biomass sources such as municipal waste or waste wood have the potential to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional aviation fuel.[2]
Lighthouse Green Fuels will produce advanced second-generation SAF, which has the potential to reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared with conventional fossil-derived jet fuel. In the future, we plan for the Project to use local carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure which has the potential to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our SAF by up to 200%. With access to CCS technology, it will be possible to prevent carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and produce a negative-emission fuel. In other words, more carbon will be avoided or removed from the atmosphere than released.
The benefits of using advanced SAF over conventional aviation fuel (i.e. kerosene) include a reduction in aircraft contrails, and it has a non-toxic chemical composition. Production routes for advanced SAF creates the potential to unlock new feedstocks to produce the fuel.
The UK government has committed to decarbonising the UK’s aviation sector to reach Net Zero by 2050. The Jet Zero Strategy announced in 2022 will play a vital role in achieving net zero, with aviation making up around 12% of the UK transport related emissions in 2020[3]. In a world that is decarbonising large scale sectors of industry and the wider global economy, without immediate action, the aviation sector has the potential to be the largest emitter of carbon globally with passenger numbers predicted to grow to 16 billion by 2050, compared to 4 billion pre-pandemic in 2018.
By 2025, the UK government has committed to having at least five SAF plants in construction in the UK, alongside a comprehensive SAF mandate subsidy programme to incentivise and support the country’s domestic SAF industry. Part of this commitment also includes a target of at least 10% SAF in the UK aviation fuel mix by 2030. Lighthouse Green Fuels represents one of the five identified SAF plants.[4]
[3] Transport and environment statistics 2022 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We have assessed the potential effects of our proposals on noise and vibration during the construction and operation phases. The initial findings from our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and preliminary mitigation measures, can be read in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) and its non-technical summary (NTS). A summary of the PEIR findings on noise and vibration can also be found in the Consultation Information Booklet.
We have assessed the potential landscape and visual effects of our proposals during the construction and operation phases. The initial findings from our Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and preliminary mitigation measures, can be read in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) and its non-technical summary (NTS). A summary of the PEIR findings on landscape and visual can also be found in the Consultation Information Booklet.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a process to identify and fully understand the potential effects that a proposed development may have on the environment, people and local communities. This process involves consultation with affected local people, wider communities and other stakeholders to ensure that the EIA has identified the relevant effects of the proposed Lighthouse Green Fuels Project.
Throughout the design process we have attempted to reduce impacts in the local area and considered how we can provide enhancements as part of the Project.
The initial findings for the EIA can be read in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) and its non-technical summary (NTS).
Construction
We are proposing to use large modular units to construct Lighthouse Green Fuels. The modular units and other equipment would be constructed offsite and then fitted together at the Project Site to reduce the length of the construction period and the number of construction deliveries using local roads.
Information on our proposed road, marine and rail transport routes during construction and operation can be read in more detail in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR), its non-technical summary (NTS) and the Consultation Information Booklet.
Should the Project be granted development consent, the construction phase is likely to be approximately three years in duration, lasting from Q4 2025 to Q3 2028. Some preparation works at the Project Site will be undertaken under a separate planning consent to enable smooth delivery of the construction phase, including the demolition of existing infrastructure. These works are expected to take place over approximately nine months, starting in Q4 2024 and finishing in 2025. It is currently expected that Lighthouse Green Fuels will begin operation in 2028.
It is anticipated that up to 2,600 temporary construction staff will be required at peak times during the construction phase.
Operation
Lighthouse Green Fuels will convert over 1 million tonnes of waste and/or waste biomass into over 175 million litres of advanced SAF and approximately 30 million litres of green naphtha each year to fuel aircraft at UK airports.
This is equivalent to the fuel required for over 25,000 short-haul flights to Europe, or over 2,500 long-haul flights to destinations such as the Americas or Australia, per year.
Once operational, Lighthouse Green Fuels is expected to create 840 full-time jobs in the UK. This would be the highest number of jobs for a project of this kind in Europe.
Yes. We are looking to setup or facilitate local apprenticeship schemes to support staffing requirements for the Project Site operations, which would help to upskill the local workforce.
Planning
Lighthouse Green Fuels is classed as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP), as it is deemed crucial for the UK’s national infrastructure. Under the Planning Act 2008, NSIPs need to seek a Development Consent Order (DCO) in order to be built and operate. To find out more about each stage of the DCO process, please view the consultation page on our website.
Some preparation works at the Project Site will be undertaken under a separate planning consent to enable smooth delivery of the construction phase, including the demolition of existing infrastructure.
Yes. Lighthouse Green Fuels is part of the UK government’s decarbonisation strategy for the aviation sector, known as the Jet Zero Strategy.
Part of this Strategy is the domestic production of SAF. This could support up to 5,200 jobs by 2035 and help regenerate industrial sites across the country, notably in areas outside London such as the north-east, contributing to levelling up the UK and improving our fuel security.[6]
The UK government has committed to at least five SAF production plants being under construction by 2025 and for SAF to represent 10% of the UK aviation fuel mix by 2030. Lighthouse Green Fuels represents one of the five identified SAF plants, and was awarded funding, totalling over £22 million, from the Department for Transport’s Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) and Advanced Fuels Fund (AFF) competitions.
[6] Jet Zero strategy: our approach for achieving net zero aviation by 2050 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
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