Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the Government has not given financial and other support to British Airways’ Green Sky project; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the potential cancellation of that project on the aviation industry’s sustainable aviation agenda.

Andrew Jones

The Government recognises the strategic importance of supporting sustainable aviation fuels in order to reduce carbon emissions in the aviation sector, and drive the development of an advanced biofuels industry in the UK. Waste-derived fuels, such as those that the GreenSky project aim to produce, hold real potential for UK growth and jobs, as well as for our energy security and balance of payments.

The GreenSky project was eligible to enter the Department’s recent Advanced Biofuel Demonstration Competition which has provided £25m of financial support to help develop sustainable biofuels. The competition attracted a wide range of strong proposals and following a thorough assessment process the GreenSky bid was unsuccessful.

I have met with British Airways to discuss the GreenSky project. We will continue regular contact as British Airways pursue this excellent initiative to develop waste-derived jet fuel.

The Transport Energy Taskforce, made up of a broad range of expert stakeholders, including British Airways, made recommendations last year, including making aviation biofuels eligible for rewards under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. We intend to include proposals on this in a public consultation this year.