Global engineering giant Worley has been appointed to manage the development of Europe’s first green aviation fuel refinery.
The company has been named partner with Velocys in the development of pre-feasibility, feasibility and front-end engineering and design packages, with all technology suppliers also appointed.
They apply to both the US development, Bayou Fuels in Mississippi, and the Altalto Immingham project, allowing the company to “leverage synergies across multiple projects and geographies”.
It said Worley’s global reach allows an effective collaborative partnership to deliver projects worldwide.
Together the projects are worth hundreds of millions of pounds and provides an integrated technology solution across five process steps, including Velocys’ own technology.
Henrik Wareborn, Velocys’ chief executive, said: “We are delighted to have appointed Worley as our engineering contractor and to partner with our selected technology providers, who bring complementary skills and command excellent reputations. Our unique combination of proven technologies allows Velocys to offer a robust process solution that will be vital to the decarbonisation of challenging sectors and the achievement of net zero targets.”
The British Airways and Shell-backed venture on the South Humber Bank, at Stallingborough, is currently with planners. More than 100 jobs would be created, with the proposal to take hundreds of thousands of tonnes of household waste, otherwise destined for landfill or incineration, and convert it into clean-burning, sustainable fuels for aviation and road transport, with 70 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular aviation fuel.
Worley has a strong presence in the area, having bought out elements of the Jacobs business last summer in a £2.5 billion deal, a decade after it had acquired Grimsby's LES.
Paul Seaton, Worley president, for engineering and construction services in Europe and Central Asia, said: “We are pleased to have been selected as the global engineering partner for these sustainable fuels projects. As a major player in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors, energy transition projects are already a fast-growing part of our business. Worley is determined to work with Velocys to find solutions for a lower carbon world.”
The “industry leading” technology suppliers were selected, after extensive due diligence and engineering assessments. Each element has now been demonstrated at commercial scale on similar feedstocks.
ThermoChem Recovery International, Arvos Schmidtsche-Schack with Linde’s Hot Oxygen Burner Technology, Air Liquide Engineering & Construction and Haldor Topsoe have been appointed.
Velocys, a fusion of an Oxford University spin-out and a US acquisition, said the “careful selection and combination of the technologies provides a de-risked solution enabling the processing of different solid feedstocks” – both woody biomass and municipal solid waste – adding it provides sufficient flexibility to allow production of multiple products including synthetic paraffinic kerosene and diesel.
A capture-ready carbon dioxide stream is also produced, as reported, enabling negative-emissions fuels wherever CO2 usage or storage options are available.
Such technology is being progressed in the Humber, with meetings only last week with anchor developer Drax and Clean Growth Minister Kwasi Kwarteng.
Mr Wareborn added: “Aviation and heavy goods transport remain the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Passenger vehicles can be electrified but aeroplanes and trucks require much higher energy density, therefore a liquid fuel remains the more viable choice.
“The technology package provides a robust solution to help these industries to unlock a decarbonised future, through access to abundant, sustainable, but difficult-to-process feedstocks such as municipal solid waste and woody biomass residues. Critically, the fuels produced meet all required regulatory standards, and can be used without any modification to engines.”
