LanzaTech’s waste gas to SAF facility gets UK government grant

Plans for the world’s first commercial-scale factory to transform waste gases into sustainable jet fuel (SAF) have moved a step closer today.
LanzaTech UK has announced that its DRAGON facility project has received a £25 miilion (€31 miilion) grant from the UK Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund Competition.
Project DRAGON, which stands for Decarbonising and Reimagining Aviation for the Goal Of Netzero, will convert waste gases into synthetic kerosene for use in SAF.
With the funding, Project DRAGON will complete engineering and the project development in collaboration with Fluor Corporation and Technip Energies, required to reach a final investment decision (FID) for the entire waste gas to SAF project.
The proposed plant, which will be sited in Port Talbot, South Wales, is expected to produce 102 million litres per year of ATJ Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (ATJ-SPK) to be blended with kerosene to make SAF.
“We must accelerate deployment of SAF plants in the UK,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.
“We’re excited that Project DRAGON has been recognized for its potential to deliver results and create new jobs while producing the volumes of SAF greatly needed by a sector that has limited options today. I thank the UK Department for Transport for its continued support and for showing leadership in validating new technologies that can have a real impact in the UK and beyond.”
“Delivering 10% SAF in 2030 requires a UK SAF industry at scale,” said Holly Boyd-Boland, VP corporate development at Virgin Atlantic.
“Today’s award of the DFT’s Advanced Fuel Fund will take us a step closer to proving the technology works and attracting the private investment needed to finance these plants. Virgin Atlantic and LanzaTech have a long history of collaboration on SAF, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to produce, purchase and fly SAF from the UK.”
The feedstock for the planned facility would be waste gases, including potentially from Tata Steel’s adjacent steelworks in Port Talbot.