Exolum, a European energy logistics company, has announced an investment of £4.5m in creating the UK’s first independent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blending facility.
Based at Redcliffe Bay in south-west England, the facility will be one of a UK-wide network of Exolum SAF blending sites.
Expected to be operational from 2026, the initial investment at Redcliffe Bay will support the greening of the equivalent of up to 64,741 flights from London to New York a year, the company said.
Unblended SAF will initially be delivered by ships to Bristol’s Royal Portbury Dock, before being transported to Exolum’s Redcliffe Bay site by pipeline.
It will then be stored and blended on-site with conventional aviation fuel, to create the ready-to-use “drop-in” fuel that is then distributed by Exolum’s national pipeline system.
The project includes several infrastructure upgrades to Exolum’s existing aviation fuel pipeline storage and pumping station at Redcliffe Bay, on the banks of the Severn Estuary near Bristol.
The plans include converting existing aviation fuel storage tanks to handle SAF, and modifying existing systems by installing new pumps, filtration systems and segregation valves.
These will allow SAF to circulate between storage tanks and to be pumped into the pipeline network.
The UK’s SAF blending hubs will eventually form a 2,000km pipeline network, creating a “SAF Superhighway” for SAF producers and importers.
This network ultimately aims to provide SAF access to 40% of flights leaving UK airports.
The announcement comes as the UK’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, which creates new subsidies for SAF production, progresses to its third reading in Parliament.