The European Commission has approved two Dutch state-aid schemes worth €290 million to support sustainable aviation fuels.
The Netherlands told the Commission it plans to introduce two programmes covering different stages of project development, with one providing investment support for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the other funding preparatory work such as front-end engineering design studies, the Commission informed on Friday.
Together, the schemes are expected to support projects producing about 285 kilotonnes of SAF a year, which it said is equivalent to 350 million litres of kerosene or around 3,500 intercontinental flights.
Funding will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis through schemes described as objective, non-discriminatory and transparent.
The aid will be paid as direct grants when project milestones are completed, and the schemes are due to run from 2027 until 2031 at the latest.
Which fuels and what rules apply?
Support will cover two types of SAF — advanced biofuels that are not made using the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids method (known as non-HEFA advanced bio-SAF) and synthetic aviation fuels (e-SAF) — the Commission said.
Projects backed under the SAF production scheme will have to meet EU criteria for renewable fuels of non-biological origin or EU sustainability criteria for advanced biofuels.
The Commission stated that it approved the measures under EU state-aid rules, citing its Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework and 2022 guidelines on climate, environmental protection and energy aid.
