UK updates RTFO and SAF feedstock classifications, adding new double‑counting materials

The Department for Transport has issued an updated list of feedstocks eligible under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate, expanding the range of wastes, residues and agricultural materials that qualify for renewable fuel rewards. The revised tables, published this week, include new entries across single‑counting and double‑counting categories, alongside clarifications on reporting requirements and sustainability criteria.

The RTFO framework awards renewable transport fuel certificates (RTFCs) for qualifying materials, with certain wastes and residues eligible for double rewards. According to the document, “materials listed in tables 3, 4, 5 and 6 are eligible to receive double the number of renewable transport fuel certificates for every litre or kilogram of renewable fuel”.

Newly added double‑counting residues include contaminated crude methanol, residues from high‑grade ethanol production, and wastewater streams from papermaking. The update also introduces conflict‑damaged crops as a potential feedstock, subject to strict evidence requirements demonstrating that damage occurred during storage as a direct result of armed conflict and that the material is “unfit for any purpose other than energy recovery”.

Agricultural residues continue to feature prominently, with aflatoxin‑contaminated corn added to the list, provided contamination exceeds regulatory thresholds and the crop was originally grown for food or feed. Several existing waste categories, including used cooking oil, sewage sludge and palm oil mill effluent, remain eligible for double counting.