Lighthouse Green Fuels approval plans to be sped up

Ministers say they will accelerate the rubber stamping of Lighthouse Green Fuels, which will produce green fuel for aeroplanes at Seal Sands.

If approved, the project would become Europe’s largest sustainable aviation fuel plant for fuels made from sources such as agricultural waste, forestry residues, municipal solid waste and used cooking oils instead of food crops.

It would produce enough fuel for 27,000 flights each year and create 2,000 construction jobs on Teesside, while supporting 3,400 supply chain roles.

It comes as conflict in the Middle East drives instability across global fuel markets.

Lighthouse Green Fuels is one of two sites to benefit, the other being nuclear project Sizewell C in Suffolk.

The Environment Agency (EA) will take the helm as a “lead environmental regulator” at the plant, acting as a single point of contact as regulators carry out checks.

The Environment Department (Defra) said the move will not lead to a watering down of green standards because the agency will co-ordinate with the other regulators on all the same assessments.

Usually there are delays in approving projects like this as developers have to work with multiple regulators, including the EA, Natural England, the Marine Management Organisation and the Forestry Commission. 

Saudi Arabian firm Alfanar, the developer behind the project, announced the £2billion investment plans for the plant last year. 

Noaman Al Adhami, UK country head for Alfanar, said: “We welcome the opportunity to support Defra’s lead environmental regulator pilot, which represents an important step forward in streamlining engagement with statutory bodies and accelerating the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

“By enabling earlier, more co-ordinated regulatory input, this initiative will help unlock investment and support the timely progression of projects like Lighthouse Green Fuels as we advance towards construction.”

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said the Government was “taking back control of our energy supply”. 

She said: “Global shocks from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show that relying on a volatile global fossil fuel market is simply not sustainable for Britain.

“These measures are a win-win for energy security, nature and for keeping bills down in the long-run.”

It comes amid the Government’s wider efforts to remove almost all fossil fuels from the UK’s electricity generation by 2030, as well as overhaul the planning system to speed up the rollout of new energy and infrastructure projects.