What is the procedure for claiming Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)/ biofuels under UK ETS?

If an aircraft operator aims to use sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) / biofuels in the near future, the operator must update their Emissions Monitoring Plan (EMP) to describe the procedures for implementing and monitoring SAF use.

In UK ETS, SAF / biofuels that can be claimed if they meet the sustainability criteria in the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) order.

Aircraft operators can make an UK ETS Emissions Reduction claim (ERC) for UK ETS and reduce their number of allowances to be surrendered if the following conditions are met:

The SAF is derived from biomass and meets the relevant RTFO criteria at the date of purchase
The SAF is delivered to the aircraft in the specific monitoring period

The aircraft operator is required to present the following key documents to their independent verifier:

a. Evidence of sustainability

– Proof of Sustainability (POS) documents
– Details of RTFO certificate claims

Note: For ERCs relating to the 2022 Scheme Year, evidence that the SAF meets the sustainability criteria in RED II will be sufficient to demonstrate it meets the sustainability criteria in the RTFO

b. SAF purchase and delivery

– Product Transfer Documents (PTD) or equivalent
– Invoices
– Aircraft Operator tracking spreadsheets.

c. Declaration

A signed declaration confirming that the SAF specified in the ERC is not sold to another person or used elsewhere to claim emissions reduction or financial benefits.

The ERCs must be included as a part of the Annual Emissions Report (AER) for the required monitoring period by 31^st March (n+1 year). Back to all F.A.Q.