Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill

Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist Excerpts

Thursday 20th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

My Lords, I speak today in strong support of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, a measure that is not only timely but essential if the UK is to maintain our leadership in clean aviation, deepen our energy security and strengthen our competitiveness in a rapidly changing global landscape. I welcome the Minister’s opening speech, in which he confirmed the Government’s desire to encourage the many different technologies being developed to produce SAF, and I am grateful for the letter we received yesterday, following the all-Peers session on the Bill last week.

May I also take this opportunity to apologise to the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Chester, and to the other five noble Lords whose contributions I missed, owing to having to lead my own debate in the Moses Room in Grand Committee? I look forward to reading their contributions in Hansard. I declare my interest as the unpaid chair of the advisory board of Eq.Flight, a government-backed project seeking to harness the power of nuclear energy to deliver SAF at scale. Its power-to-liquids technology is known as third generation.

Aviation remains one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise. Even as new technologies and aircraft efficiencies develop, the industry will continue to rely on liquid fuels for many years to come. Sustainable aviation fuel provides the most scalable way to cut emissions, but this transition will not happen without clear long-term signals; industry needs confidence, stability and a durable policy framework—exactly what this Bill is designed to provide. A critical part of this transition is long-term certainty. Projects of this scale cannot proceed on short-term signals alone; they require the revenue certainty mechanisms that give investor confidence over the lifespan of the asset. Without stable, predictable support, the capital simply will not flow, the UK will miss the opportunity to build these industries here at home, and UK aviation will support jobs abroad instead of on UK soil. A clear RCM framework is therefore vital if we are to attract investment and give industry the confidence to build. It is what allows companies to commit, communities to benefit, and supply chains to grow with confidence.

We must also recognise the distinction between what can be delivered now and what must be delivered over the long term. In the near term, bio-based feedstocks are essential; they are proven, available and capable of delivering real emissions reductions today. However, bio-based feedstocks are ultimately finite; they cannot meet the total future demand of global aviation. The long-term solution is power-to-liquids—synthetic aviation fuels produced using clean energy and made from nothing more than air and water. These fuels offer potential deep decarbonisation of tailpipe emissions and can mitigate other greenhouse effects such as contrails. To achieve this, they require large quantities of firm low-carbon power, which is where the UK has a unique strategic advantage.

In the decades ahead, advanced nuclear technologies will be critical to producing the clean electricity, the hydrogen and the high-temperature heat needed for sustainable aviation fuel at scale. The UK’s positive and forward-leaning nuclear policy means we are exceptionally well placed to become a world leader in nuclear-enabled sustainable aviation fuel; but for this to happen, we must give nuclear investors the long-term certainty they require. Advanced reactors by their very nature demand longer revenue certainty mechanisms if they are to deliver affordable, sovereign clean energy for the industries of the future. The Government must ensure that consistency between technologies is maintained, but the absence of a defined carbon intensity for nuclear-derived SAF in the SAF mandate creates some uncertainty and therefore additional risk for investors. This barrier to the use of nuclear energy for SAF production risks the UK missing out on investment and the jobs that would inevitably follow investment in nuclear-derived SAF projects.

Globally, the potential for sustainable aviation fuel is now widely understood, and competition to become a world leader is intensifying. Countries and regions are moving quickly to secure the investment, the skills and the supply chains that will anchor these new industries for decades. The European Union’s ReFuelEU initiative provides strong market signals and long-term clarity for SAF deployment across Europe. If the UK is to keep pace—and indeed to lead—we must provide the same level of long-term certainty. A clear RCM framework is therefore vital if we are to attract investment and give industry the confidence to build.

Domestically, sustainable aviation fuel production can underpin a new generation of green industrial hubs, creating skilled jobs and strengthening economic resilience across all corners of our country. The aviation sector may be the final consumer, but the industrial benefits will be broad and enduring. The transition to sustainable flight will not be achieved with a single measure, but this Bill is a cornerstone, providing the certainty required to unlock investment, encourage innovation and build the infrastructure that will power aviation for decades to come. If we get this right, we will not only decarbonise one of our hardest-to-abate sectors: we will secure thousands of future-facing jobs and reaffirm the UK’s position as a world leader in clean aviation.