Consultation outcome

Pathway to net zero aviation: developing the UK sustainable aviation fuel mandate

From:: Department for Transport
Published: 30 March 2023
Last updated: 25 April 2024 — See all updates

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Supporting the transition to Jet Zero: creating the UK SAF mandate

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UK SAF mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis

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UK SAF mandate: accessible text descriptions for final stage cost benefit analysis figures

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UK SAF mandate: final stage cost benefit analysis dataset

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Detail of outcome

The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate will set annual targets on fuel suppliers to blend a proportion of SAF into their fuel supply. It will operate as a tradeable certificate scheme where the supply of SAF is rewarded in proportion to its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions.

Our response confirms:

the overall SAF demand will be set at 2% of aviation fuel supplied in 2025, increasing to 10% in 2030 and 22% in 2040
hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids will be allowed to contribute a maximum amount (100%) of SAF demand in 2025 and 2026, decreasing to 71% in 2030 and 35% by 2040
a power to liquid (PtL) obligation will be introduced from 2028 at 0.2% of total jet fuel demand and will reach 3.5% of total jet fuel demand in 2040
the buy-out prices will be set at the equivalent of £4.70 and £5.00 per litre for the main and PtL obligations, respectively
formal reviews will be conducted and published at least every 5 years, with the first review carried out by 2030
aviation turbine fuel, aviation gasoline and hydrogen will be eligible for reward providing they meet strict sustainability criteria
the obligation will be determined on the basis of energy supplied through aviation fuel with the reward of certificates proportionate to GHG savings
the administration of the scheme will align with the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation as much as possible
the administrator will have the right to apply proportionate sanctions to ensure all relevant parties are compliant the requirements of the mandate

We have also published a dataset that supports the analysis and an updated cost-benefit analysis, which sets out the quantitative analysis and modelling that underpins our decisions.

Original consultation

Consultation description

Proposes the UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate. The SAF mandate will:

create demand for SAF
achieve greenhouse gas emission savings
provide price support for SAF supply

We are seeking views on the:

overarching targets to be set for 2030 and beyond
targets to supply power to liquid fuels and a cap on hydrotreated esters and fatty acids
potential buy-out price, which determines the maximum incentive for supplying SAF
eligible fuels and sustainability criteria
design of the scheme including:
- who the obligation applies to
- how certificates will be issued, traded and used for compliance, and how the obligation will be discharged
administrator and enforcement of the scheme
interactions with other domestic and international policy makers

This builds on the commitment to introduce a SAF mandate in 2025 requiring at least 10% of jet fuel to be made from sustainable feedstocks by 2030 released in 2022.

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