NextChem awarded engineering study for UK sustainable aviation fuel plant

Image: Velocys

Maire announced Sept. 8 that its NextChem subsidiary, through its waste-to-chemical company MyRechemical, has been awarded an engineering-study contract by Altalto Ltd. based on its proprietary NX Circular™ gasification and NX CPO™ technologies for a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Immingham, Lincolnshire, U.K.

Altalto is a company set up by Velocys to develop SAF projects in the U.K.

Front-end engineering design (FEED) is expected to begin in early 2026 and the plant is expected to be operational in 2030.

Initial targets include the production of 30 million liters (7.9 million gallons) of SAF per year for the U.K. market in support of the SAF mandate, the U.K.’s key policy to decarbonize aviation fuel by encouraging the supply of sustainable aviation fuels.

It starts in 2025 at 2 percent of total U.K. jet-fuel demand, increasing linearly to 10 percent in 2030 and then to 22 percent in 2040.

From 2040, the obligation will remain at 22 percent of total U.K. jet-fuel demand until there is greater certainty regarding SAF supply.

Feedstocks for the Altalto plant will be sourced from residual municipal solid waste (MSW) and commercial and industrial waste.

The project has been awarded a grant from the U.K. transportation department’s Advanced Fuels Fund to progress basic engineering design.

The SAF from the plant will be enough to power over 500 flights from London to New York per year.

The NX Circular™ gasification technology allows the plant to convert waste by generating synthesis gas (syngas), which is subsequently transformed to SynCrude through Velocys’ Fischer-Tropsch technology and upgraded to liquid fuels.

“The application of this solution, combined with NX CPO™ technology, offers a unique and efficient design,” Maire stated. “NX CPO™ ensures an advanced innovative process to produce synthesis gas via controlled partial oxidation through a very fast reaction. When applied to synthetic-fuel production, this versatile technology is contributing to maximizing overall yield while minimizing carbon intensity of the product.”

MyRechemical will operate as a technology provider and as coordinator for other technological partners.

It will also supply engineering services supported by NextChem’s NX engineering district in Catania, Sicily, and involve other sister companies of the Maire Group.

“By integrating NextChem’s proven gasification systems, we are strengthening Altalto’s pathway to becoming the U.K.’s first commercial waste-to-SAF plant,” said Velocys CEO Matthew Viergutz.

“Altalto is alive, advancing, and represents the most near-term opportunity to deliver meaningful volumes of sustainable aviation fuel from waste,” he added.

The Altalto plant is expected to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by over 100,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per year (including carbon capture and storage), valorize residual waste and create about 100 permanent jobs.

The project will also generate an additional 1,000 direct and 300 indirect jobs during construction.

“Altalto is aiming to significantly improve the U.K. balance of payments by reducing fuel imports while generating substantial investment and export opportunities for the country,” Maire stated.

Fabio Fritelli, the managing director of NextChem, said, “This award confirms the validity and flexibility of our technological proposal, which meets the needs of players in the mobility sector, particularly in aviation where decarbonization is of paramount importance.”