Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research her Department is undertaking into developing alternative vehicle fuels, such as synthetic and bio fuels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In recognition of their established carbon reduction benefits the Government supports the use of low carbon fuels in surface transport vehicles through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. Under the scheme the supply of synthetic fuels and biofuels produced from renewable inputs is eligible for support, where these low carbon fuels meet stringent sustainability criteria.
Whilst my Department does not generally undertake its own research into developing alternative vehicle fuels, it does periodically fund specific research studies to inform policy development and the deployment of such fuels. A recent example is a study on higher bio content fuel deployment in heavy-duty transport, the outputs of which were published online in August 2025.
Additionally, the Department provides funding for latter stage development and deployment of hydrogen, a synthetic fuel, through the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) and the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) programmes.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for UK hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to contribute to the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as (a) heavy machinery and (b) heavy transport.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government expects hydrogen to play a role in decarbonising applications where there are limited alternatives such as maritime, aviation, and off-road machinery. This includes through use as a fuel directly, in a fuel cell, and to produce other low-carbon fuels such as ammonia, methanol, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The Government plans to publish a renewed Hydrogen Strategy in early 2026 to sharpen our priorities, deepen industry collaboration, and unlock the full potential of hydrogen over the next decade.
The Department has long supported the research, development, and deployment of hydrogen‑powered transport, including through ensuring hydrogen is eligible for support under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, through the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator, the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions, and the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas programme.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a fuel duty rebate linked to emissions reductions to encourage the use of low carbon fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a relatively new fuel and has limited availability in the UK. When used for domestic heating, HVO benefits from the rebated duty rate of 10.18p per litre, in contrast to the full duty rate of 52.95p per litre.
The Government currently encourages the use of HVO through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), which incentivises the use of low carbon fuels and reduces emissions from fuel supplied for use in transport and non-road mobile machinery. The RTFO has been very successful in supporting a market for renewable fuel since its introduction in 2008. Renewable fuels supplied under the RTFO currently contribute a third of the savings required for the UK’s transport carbon budget.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what has been the change in the volume of sustainable aviation fuel production in the UK between 2019 and 2024.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We do not hold statistics on volumes of SAF produced in the UK. SAF volumes are reported to the Department by fuel suppliers to discharge their obligations under the SAF mandate, and between 2019 and 2024, under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). SAF is not yet produced globally at a large scale. In the UK the only commercial scale SAF producer is at Phillips 66’s Humberside refinery.
Looking forward, the Government is taking decisive action to scale up UK SAF production. From 1 January 2025, the SAF mandate came into effect, setting a clear trajectory for growth – 10% of UK aviation fuel is required to be SAF by 2030 and 22% by 2040. To help deliver this, £63 million in grant funding has been allocated through the Advanced Fuels Fund for the current year to support UK SAF plants, with continued support for SAF production through to 2029/30. We have also introduced a SAF Bill that will establish a Revenue Certainty Mechanism, giving investors confidence to build and operate SAF facilities in the UK.
Asked by: Carla Denyer (Green Party - Bristol Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of (a) the availability of global supply of the feedstocks used for sustainable aviation fuel and (b) the amounts of that feedstock the Government has identified as being needed for decarbonisation of (i) road transport and (ii) aviation.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of the 1st of January 2025, a market for low carbon fuels for use in aviation and road transport has been supported under two separate schemes: the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate and the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
Targets under both the SAF Mandate and RTFO are set considering global availability of feedstocks and competing demands between transport modes and across sectors of the economy. Any proposals to introduce or change future targets under the RTFO or SAF mandate scheme design will always consider these competing demands.
Accordingly, the Department published a Cost Benefit Analysis for the SAF Mandate, alongside the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) Order 2024 SI No.1187 which introduced the scheme. The Cost Benefit Analysis set out our assessment of the availability of sustainable feedstocks and considered potential feedstock and production constraints. The Department is confident that the SAF Mandate targets have struck the right balance between ambition and deliverability.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the recommendations of Project Willow on the HEFA Cap delay.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government launched Project Willow to find an industrial future for Grangemouth – identifying nine low-carbon and renewable energy business models that could create 800 jobs by 2040.
Government is ready to take these forward as co-investment projects with the private sector. Backed by £200 million from the National Wealth Fund, investment agencies are working to find investors for these proposals and other low carbon and clean energy proposals in the Grangemouth area. So far c.100 enquiries have been received.
HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) is a fuel developed from oils or fats, such as used cooking oil. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Mandate caps the amount of HEFA that can be used to meet the main obligation under the Mandate to encourage the development of more advanced fuels. The suggested delay to the HEFA cap would undermine this approach and is not being considered.
To ensure the Mandate remains aligned with technological and commercial developments, it will be continuously monitored. Formal reviews will be published at least every five years, with the first scheduled for 2030. These reviews will also ensure continued alignment with broader government policies and strategies.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support the uptake of low carbon fuels in the logistics sector.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is actively supporting the uptake of low carbon fuels across the logistics sector through a range of measures. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) remains a key policy tool, which has delivered 55 MtCO2e of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings since its inception in 2008, that’s about two thirds of transport’s GHG savings between 2008 and 2022.
In addition, the Department is advancing the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through the introduction of a SAF Mandate, the Advanced Fuels Fund to support UK producers, and the development of a revenue certainty mechanism to unlock private investment in domestic projects.
Recognising that achieving net zero in logistics will also require a transition to zero emission vehicles, we are accelerating the deployment of zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and the necessary refuelling and charging infrastructure through the Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme.
The logistics sector plays a vital role in both economic growth and the UK’s net zero ambitions, and the Department remains committed to working closely with industry to support this transition.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitting crop-based biofuels to be eligible under the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate on (a) the environment and (b) food security.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In August 2025 the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that a call for evidence on the eligibility of crops in the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate would be published by the end of this year. This followed a call for evidence on the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
Crops encompass a variety of feedstocks with different impacts. It is right that we gather up-to-date evidence and information on emerging developments, including on the sustainability risks associated with crop-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel and how regulation could mitigate these risks.
The call for evidence does not propose any changes to the SAF Mandate nor does it signal the future direction of the SAF Mandate; it is intended to support assessment of the potential impacts, including on the environment and food security, of crop-based biofuels by the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the sustainable bioethnol production sector.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government has been in negotiations with the bioethanol sector to understand what support could be delivered to ensure its long-term sustainable future.
The Department for Transport confirmed their intention to consult on amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, including options for increased targets. DfT also confirmed plans to convene an expert working group to explore whether ethanol blending in petrol can be increased beyond the current E10 blend.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the exclusion of Hydrogen fuel cells used by Nonroad Mobile Machinery from the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation subsidy on the financial viability of electrolytic hydrogen production projects.
Answered by Mike Kane
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) supports the use of low carbon fuels in surface transport, including specific non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). While hydrogen fuel cell generators are not currently covered by the definition of non-road mobile machinery, renewable electrolytic hydrogen used in fuel cells is supported under the RTFO when used in a range of transport modes, including road vehicles, trains, maritime and inland waterway vessels.
Small but growing volumes of hydrogen have been supplied under the scheme in recent years.
As part of a statutory review of the RTFO, the Department for Transport recently ran a Call for Evidence covering both the past performance and future of the scheme. Government is currently considering the responses submitted, including on hydrogen fuel cell generators, before publishing a summary of responses and setting out next steps.