Waterford firm signs deal to develop sustainable aviation fuel

NEG8 Carbon's technology will help to create fuel with 90% fewer emissions than traditional jet fuel

Ray Naughton, founder and managing director of NEG8 Carbon.

A Waterford carbon capture company has been chosen to receive funding from a £1m (€1.13m) UK contract to develop large-scale sustainable aviation fuel.

NEG8 Carbon based at the IDA Business Park on the Cork Road in Waterford has signed a contract for a project led by British tech consultancy firm Equilibrion aimed at decarbonising aviation fuel using low-carbon nuclear energy.

NEG8 Carbon’s direct air capture (DAC) system works by using fans to draw in large quantities of air and extracting carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide provided via direct air capture will be combined with green hydrogen and nuclear-generated electricity to create fuel which will save over 90% emissions compared to traditional jet fuel.

The project, known as Eq.flight, will be led by Equilibrion who are pioneering the drive to decarbonise aviation using low-carbon nuclear energy through small and advanced modular reactors. The Eq.flight project is funded through the UK department of transport’s Advanced Fuel Fund.

"The potential in this market is driven by the EU and UK government mandates to airlines to use more sustainable aviation fuel in their fuel mix, progressing to 70% in the EU by 2050. This creates a global sustainable aviation fuel market with a value of $400bn (€345bn) by 2050. NEG8 Carbon is now positioned to be a major player in this market," said NEG8 Carbon founder and managing director, Ray Naughton

NEG8 Carbon’s DAC technology is particularly suitable for this project as it uses low-carbon heat and electricity from nuclear, which reduces the cost and efficiency of the process.

The Advanced Fuels Fund is a UK government initiative that supports commercial and demonstration-scale projects. All projects have demonstrated their potential to produce SAF capable of reducing emissions by more than 65% when used in place of conventional fossil jet fuel.

Equilibrion was awarded £1m (€1.13m) for the first phase of the Eq.flight project.