British Airways has joined forces with Solena Fules to build the world’s first facility to convert landfill waste into airline fuel.
The Green Sky project will take place in the Thames Enterprise Park, part of the site of the former Coryton oil refinery in Thurrock, Essex.
A thousand construction workers will be hired to build the facility, which is due to be completed in 2017, creating up to 150 permanent jobs.
The airline says approximately 575,000 tonnes of post-recycled waste, normally destined for landfill or incineration, will instead be converted into 120,000 tonnes of clean burning liquid fuels using Solena’s integrated technology.
The partnership will see BA purchase all 50,000 tonnes per annum of the jet fuel produced at market competitive rates, for the next 11 years.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways’ parent company IAG, said: "The sustainable jet fuel produced each year will be enough to power our flights from London City Airport twice over with carbon savings the equivalent of taking 150,000 cars off the road."
Solena will use its patented high temperature plasma gasification technology to convert the waste efficiently into synthetic gas and then into liquid hydrocarbons.
