June 6, 2023 [Navigator]- Navigator Terminals and alfanar will enter a joint Front-End-Engineering-Design (FEED) study in 2023 to determine the key scope for the UK’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel handling terminal that will be located on North Tees to transport feedstock and handle the production volumes from the innovative alfanar facility.

The Lighthouse Green Fuels (LGF) project, backed by alfanar, will see approximately 1 million tonnes of non-recyclable waste converted into Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at the facility which is to be deployed on Teesside. SAF produced at the plant has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 80% and the plant will produce >125,000 tonnes of SAF annually from 2028 (equivalent to >165 million litres per annum).

UK Government’s Jet Zero strategy will support aviation to reach net zero by 2050. SAF is seen as a key component as a ‘drop-in fuel’ that can be blended into fossil-based aviation fuel and used in existing aircraft and infrastructure without modification and therefore could deliver both short- and long-term CO2 emissions savings. Some experts view SAF as the only alternative to kerosene for long-haul flights up to 2050 and beyond depending on the development of alternate flight-powering technologies such as hydrogen and batteries. Their alternate technologies are only in the early stages of development and may never achieve the energy storage densities required for long-haul flights.

Navigator Terminals’ North Tees complex is a road fuel and crude oil storage facility with the region’s only deep-water jetty designed for petrochemicals, direct pipeline connecting to the North Sea and modern rail distribution facilities. Finished SAF will be exported via ship at the North Tees waterside complex. SAF may also be exported via rail or truck at Navigator’s inland North Tees rail terminal.

Jason Hornsby, Chief Executive Officer for Navigator Terminals said of the project:

“Navigator Terminals is committed to playing a leading role in delivering net zero for the UK, as the UK’s leading transport, storage and handling experts, we operate a network of strategically located terminals. We have supported alfanar progress in its thinking around the Lighthouse SAF project for over 12 months and now are pleased to announce our formal partnership. It is exciting to bring forward plans for the UK’s first Sustainable Aviation Fuel handling terminal on our North Tees dockside to rejuvenate this industrial land and push UK aviation that bit closer to net zero every time we fly.”

Mishal Almutlaq, Chief Investment Officer at Alfanar, said:

“We are delighted to form a partnership with Navigator Terminals on Teesside., we kicked off the FEED study for our Lighthouse Green Fuels project in June 2022 and we are now looking to start engineering works associated with the build out the regional infrastructure on Teesside, and this includes partnering with Navigator Terminals. This will enable our facility to play a leading role in bringing SAF to the UK aviation sector and helping them to reach net zero. We see the LGF project creating high-quality jobs to deliver and run our facility, but also creating a much wider regional economic boost as we start construction in 2024.”

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