Response to consultation on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of aviation fuel in the UK

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) advocates for the inclusion of 'blue' hydrogen in the UK's sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate, arguing that biofuels and 'green' hydrogen alone cannot meet the sector's energy demands or the 2030 target of 10% SAF. CATF asserts that 'blue' hydrogen is more scalable and cost-effective than 'green' hydrogen and can achieve comparable lifecycle emissions if high carbon capture rates and strict methane leakage controls are implemented. The document provides cost comparisons and estimates the significant renewable energy capacity that would be required if the mandate were met solely through 'green' hydrogen.

• Biofuels are insufficient to meet the energy requirements of the aviation sector, even if all production were dedicated to aviation, necessitating investment in non-biogenic fuels and propulsion.
• CATF argues that 'blue' hydrogen is a necessary feedstock for the UK to reach its 10% SAF target by 2030 because 'green' hydrogen is limited by resource scarcity, capacity factors, and competing needs like grid decarbonisation.
• 'Blue' hydrogen is currently more cost-effective and scalable than 'green' hydrogen due to technology maturity and lower upfront capital requirements.
• The lifecycle emissions of 'blue' hydrogen can be comparable to 'green' hydrogen if high carbon capture rates are used and methane leakage is strictly controlled; for example, a 97% capture rate using Autothermal Reforming (ATR) reduces emissions to 18.9 gCO2e/MJ.
• Renewable hydrogen is not zero-emissions when considering the lifecycle of manufacturing components, such as steel for wind turbines or solar PV produced in coal-heavy grids like China.
• Meeting the 10% SAF mandate by 2030 via the Fischer Tropsch (FT) route using only 'green' hydrogen would require renewable energy capacity equivalent to all of the UK's currently installed solar PV capacity.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Response to consultation on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of aviation fuel in the UK. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/06144857/CATF-response-SAF-mandate-consultation.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Response to consultation on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of aviation fuel in the UK. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/06144857/CATF-response-SAF-mandate-consultation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Response to consultation on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of aviation fuel in the UK |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/06144857/CATF-response-SAF-mandate-consultation.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{cleanairtaskforcendresponse, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Response to consultation on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of aviation fuel in the UK}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/06144857/CATF-response-SAF-mandate-consultation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }