By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : March 11, 2026 3:03 pm
Equilibrion and partners aim to deliver a UK-based demonstration of Eq.flight by 2030 to prove both its technical viability and economic case
Equilibrion and Rolls-Royce SMR have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore how nuclear energy could fuel the next generation of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The partnership will focus on a technical and economic assessment to gauge the potential of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in producing low-carbon SAF at scale.
The Rolls-Royce SMR is engineered to deliver clean, reliable, and cost-competitive energy through its factory-built design. Its consistent heat and electricity output is ideal for energy-intensive industrial processes, including hydrogen production and synthetic fuel synthesis.
Equilibrion, a UK-based project development and technology company, is driving commercial opportunities for nuclear energy in hard-to-decarbonise sectors. Its proprietary Eq.flight system is a modular platform for producing SAF at commercial scale with lower lifecycle emissions, positioning it as a prime solution for both UK and global deployment.
Eq.flight will produce e-SAF using electricity and heat—a power-to-liquids (PtL) process that supports the UK’s SAF Mandate targets. Its efficiency could deliver higher SAF volumes with less energy, helping secure domestic production, jobs, and economic growth.
Supported by a Department for Transport grant through the Advanced Fuels Fund, Equilibrion and partners aim to deliver a UK-based demonstration of Eq.flight by 2030 to prove both its technical viability and economic case.
The collaboration seeks to pair Equilibrion’s SAF production system with Rolls-Royce SMR’s low-carbon power, with the potential to produce over 160 million litres of SAF annually per reactor—enough to meet roughly a third of the UK’s 2040 PtL target.
Aviation remains one of the fastest-growing sources of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet SAF currently supplies less than 1% of global demand. With the UK targeting 22% of aviation fuel to be SAF by 2040, scaling production requires vast amounts of low-carbon energy—a challenge nuclear technology is uniquely positioned to meet.
Under the MoU, the partners will deepen their understanding of the technical and economic case for a globally scalable, nuclear-powered SAF solution. The initiative is expected to support national and international net-zero goals, enhance energy security, and make SAF available at transformative volumes.
Future commercial deployment could create thousands of high-skilled jobs, boost UK industrial capability, and accelerate global SAF adoption.
Caroline Longman, Director at Equilibrion, said: “Aviation will only meet its climate commitments if SAF becomes available in large, dependable volumes. Nuclear‑derived fuel production offers the reliability, scalability and low carbon intensity needed to deliver that future. Delivering nuclear‑enabled SAF also creates long‑term, high‑quality employment—each Eq.flight facility has the potential to generate around 10,000 skilled local jobs over its lifetime.”
Alan Woods, Director of Strategy and Business Development for Rolls-Royce SMR, added: “Our SMR technology is designed to provide clean, affordable and dependable low‑carbon energy, exactly the qualities required to unlock large‑scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel production.
"The technical and economic assessment completed with Equilibrion will enable them to demonstrate how nuclear can power one of the most ambitious decarbonisation challenges in aviation.”