Willis Sustainable Fuels enters license, engineering agreements for SAF project in Teesside, UK

Willis Sustainable Fuels, a subsidiary of Willis Lease Finance Corp., has entered license and engineering agreements with Johnson Matthey and Axens for its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in Teesside, North East England.  

WSF has selected the Fischer-Tropsch CANS™ technology developed by Johnson Matthey and BP.  

The project, which is expected to be operational in 2028, plans to be the first of its kind in the U.K.  

The facility intends to use a biomethane feedstock, processed into syngas using JM’s proven reforming technology.  

This syngas will feed the JM/BP FT CANS technology to produce synthetic crude oil that can be upgraded and blended to SAF.  

Once operational, the WSF facility plans to produce 14,000 metric tons of SAF blendstock per year. 

This is equivalent to approximately 50,000 liters a day, or around 13,209 gallons per day.  

Teesside is becoming an active location in the U.K. for SAF production, with Teesside International Airport’s own net-zero strategy setting ambitions for it to use SAF to achieve net-zero flights by 2035 and to be the U.K.’s first net-zero airport.  

WSF’s planned development was one of five Teesside-based projects to receive funding from round two of the U.K. Department for Transport’s Advanced Fuels Fund, which enables the commercial deployment of fuel-production technologies capable of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the U.K. aviation industry. 

“As a U.K.-headquartered company, we’re excited our technology has been selected to be part of this innovative U.K. project,” said Alberto Giovanzana, the managing director for licensing at Johnson Matthey. “With our FT CANS development and testing facilities located in Teesside, and projects like this in development, we see the North East as a leader in efforts to meet the U.K. SAF mandate. We look forward to working with Willis Sustainable Fuels to develop SAF in the region—and beyond.”  

Amy Ruddock, an executive with Willis Lease Finance, added, “Partnering with Johnson Matthey and other industry leaders enables us to drive meaningful progress toward our vision of connecting the world through sustainable flight. Through this collaboration, WSF will leverage Johnson Matthey’s and Axens’ market-leading technologies to support the production of SAF at our facility in Teesside. This pioneering project will demonstrate the potential of our Carbonshift pathway, which can leverage various sustainable feedstocks and be tailored to produce power-to-liquids—helping to shape the future of aviation fuels.” 

Jacques Rault, an executive with Axens, said, “Axens is honored to be chosen as a partner in this pivotal energy-transition project to support the emergence of the advanced SAF market in the U.K. We are dedicated to accompanying Willis every step of the way, ensuring the successful implementation of innovative solutions that drive sustainable progress.”