Willis and GFI launch SAF project accelerator to boost domestic sustainable aviation fuel production

A new partnership between Willis Sustainable Fuels UK and the Green Finance Institute – an independent advisor to governments and investors – has launched its Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Project Accelerator aimed at advancing a major SAF production facility at Wilton International in Teesside.

The Teesside project is among the UK’s most advanced second‑generation SAF developments: it plans to convert mostly UK biomethane and waste feedstocks into around 14,000t of jet fuel per year, reducing reliance on imported fuels and supporting national energy security. The scheme has already secured £7.6m from the government’s Advanced Fuels Fund.

Underpinned by the UK’s 2025 SAF mandate – which requires increasing levels of sustainable fuel in the national jet‑fuel supply (targeting 10 % by 2030 and 22 % by 2040) – the accelerator aims to overcome financial and regulatory hurdles to make SAF projects commercially viable.

Through the accelerator, WSF and GFI intend to develop innovative financing and risk‑mitigation approaches, identify and address regulatory and financial gaps, and convene public‑ and private‑sector stakeholders to build a replicable model for financing future SAF infrastructure across the UK.

According to WSF’s director Dr Amy Ruddock, the collaboration is “a vital step in demonstrating the commercial viability of SAF projects in the UK,” with the aim of creating a blueprint that accelerates the transition to low‑carbon aviation.