31-03-2025

Willis Sustainable Fuels selects Johnson Matthey to boost SAF production in the UK

Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in sustainable technologies, today announced that Willis Sustainable Fuels has selected JM and bp's award-winning Fischer Tropsch (FT) CANS™ technology for WSF's sustainable aviation fuel project in Teesside, Northeast England.

The project, which is expected to be operational in 2028, plans to be the first of its kind in the UK. 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 thousand tonnes of SAF blendstock per year.

Teesside is becoming an active location in the UK 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 UK's first net zero airport.

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

Alberto Giovanzana, Managing Director Licensing at Johnson Matthey, said: "As a UK-headquartered company, we're excited our technology has been selected to be part of this innovative UK project. 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 UK SAF mandate. We look forward to working with Willis Sustainable Fuels to develop SAF in the region ...and beyond!"

Amy Ruddock, Senior Vice President, Sustainable Aviation & Corporate Development at Willis Lease Finance Corporation, the parent company of WSF, said: "Partnering with Johnson Matthey and other industry leaders enables us to drive meaningful progress toward our vision of connecting the world through sustainable flight."

"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."