About the LCFF

Objectives

The key objectives of the Low Carbon Fuels Fund are to:

• Support the UK advanced SAF sector in their development of commercial scale projects capable of significantly reducing near-term UK aviation emissions.
• Support those projects in later development stages to achieve a Final Investment Decision, to help unlock future investments in other UK advanced SAF projects.
• Broaden and strengthen the UK project pipeline, accelerating the progression of numerous advanced SAF projects and attracting private backing for their development.
• Support the technical advancement of a diverse range of innovative pathways to SAF.

Scope

The first window of the Low Carbon Fuels Fund will provide grant funding to first-of-a-kind (FOAK) commercial and demonstration-scale advanced SAF projects in the UK at specific development stages, covering “Pre-front-end engineering and design” (Pre-FEED)”, “Front-end engineering and design” (FEED) and “Detailed Design” within “Engineering, Procurement & Construction” (EPC). Feasibility studies, Procurement of Equipment and EPC license fees will not be supported, nor will Construction, Installation, Commissioning and Operations.

How to apply

Applications will be open from Monday 10 August 2026 until Monday 21 September 2026. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged by email. It is not possible to accept late applications.

• A webinar launch event was held on 12 August 2026 at 14:00 to 15:30 BST. The event gave an overview of the competition covering the objectives, eligibility and assessment criteria, key dates and application form/appendices required. Potential applicants had the opportunity to ask questions and these questions plus responses will be recorded in an FAQ document in the Questions section of this webpage. The presentation and recording from the launch event are in the News and updates section of this webpage.
• Three GHG emission briefing events have been held. The first was held on 13 August 2026 at 11:00 to 12:30 BST. The second event was held on 2 September at 11:00 to 11:30 BST. The third event was held on 10 September 2026 at 10:30 to 12:00 BST. These explained the SAF Mandate GHG methodology, and helped answer questions from potential applicants regarding how best to complete the Appendix H template. Potential applicants had the opportunity to ask questions and these questions plus responses are recorded in an FAQ document in the Questions section of this webpage. The presentation and recordings from these events are under News and Updates below. 
• There was a voluntary mid-window indicative eligibility check where any applicant could submit a completed eligibility pre-check form.
• The deadline to submit this form has now passed.
• A short, templated feedback letter has been returned to any applicant that submitted the eligibility pre-check form.
• This check did not involve assessment of any supporting evidence or appendices.
• The short form submitted for this check will not be used in the full application assessment process as it will be superseded by the finalised Section 1 and Section 2.2 in any full application.
• This indicative eligibility check was not mandatory and will not carry any marks, but was recommended.

Timeline

Table 1 outlines the key dates and stages of the Low Carbon Fuels Fund, from launch to the end of the window 1 Funding Period. These dates may be subject to change.

Table 1. Key Dates

Date	Stage
10 August 2026	Window 1 open for applications.
By 16:00 BST 25 August 2026	Voluntary indicative eligibility check deadline (separate short form).
16:00 BST 21 September 2026	Full application deadline for Window 1 (application form and all appendices).
January 2027	Announcement of Window 1 winners and likely start of Funding Period for projects.
31 March 2028	End of Funding Period for all Window 1 winning projects.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the guidance document in order to be eligible for funding. If you are unsure if you meet the criteria, please contact LCFF@WSP.com, or submit an eligibility pre-check form for a voluntary check by 25 August 2026.

The Low Carbon Fuels Fund will be is administered and managed on behalf of the DfT by their delivery partners WSP and ERM. Note this EMAQ website is owned by Ricardo-AEA, now formally part of WSP. DfT retains overall responsibility for the execution, eligibility and award decisions, contract terms and payments throughout.

A fair and competitive assessment process will be assured, including a rigorous process to manage any direct or perceived conflict of interest that may arise from a personal or working relationship between an applicant and one of the delivery partners.

Application documents

Please download the competition documents using the links below.

• Low Carbon Fuels Fund Guidance document
• Low Carbon Fuels Fund Voluntary Eligibility Pre-check Form
• Low Carbon Fuels Fund Application Form
• Appendix D (activities budget)
• Appendix E (financial model)
• Appendix G (risk register)
• Appendix H (GHG emissions) Bio or RCF consignment
• Appendix H (GHG emissions) PTL consignment
• Appendix J (summary info)
• Low Carbon Fuels Fund Example Grant Agreement

News and updates

• To ensure you are informed of all the latest news and updates in relation to the competition, please register for our mailing list by contacting LCFF@WSP.com

• Please see the launch webinar slides and recording below:
  • Low Carbon Fuels Fund launch event presentation
  • Low Carbon Fuels Fund Launch event recording:
         
    

Please see below the GHG briefing slides and the recordings for three briefing sessions held on 13 August, 2 September and 10 September:

• GHG briefing slides 
• Briefing session 1:

   
 

• Briefing session 2:

   

• Briefing session 3, view the recording here: https://vimeo.com/1227377358/ecd9b955f3

 

Changes to competition documents are listed below:

Document updated	Date	Changes
LCFF Window 1 Application Form v3.0	19 August 2026	Minor tweak regarding the delivered feedstock intensity vs upstream step modelling instructions.
LCFF Window 1 Appendix H (GHG emissions) Bio or RCF consignment v3.0	19 August 2026	Minor tweak regarding the delivered feedstock intensity vs upstream step modelling instructions.
LCFF Window 1 Appendix H (GHG emissions) PTL consignment v3.0	19 August 2026	Minor tweak regarding the delivered feedstock intensity vs upstream step modelling instructions.
LCFF Window 1 Voluntary Eligibility Pre-Check Form v3.0	19 August 2026	Added questions on the product slate (>50% jet) and the proposed plant jet annual tonnage.
LCFF Window 1 Guidance Document v4.0	24 August 2026	Corrected deadline date within image on page 9.
LCFF Window 1 Appendix H (GHG emissions) PTL consignment v4.0	8 September 2026	Inclusion of stack electricity GHG intensity field for “H2 electrolysis” tab (cell U5), correction to “Conversion to intermediate” efficiency (cell P19), and minor tweaks to column Z warning flags throughout the chain (removing redundant checks).
LCFF Window 1 Appendix E v3.0	10 September 2026	“Financing – FOAK” tab clarified that arrangement fees are part of Amounts to raise, and arrangement fees are now added on top of plant CAPEX within Total uses (cell B13). “Cash flow – FOAK” tab, row 125 formulae edited to add arrangement fees at the first year of CAPEX spend. “Financing – Demo” tab edited Total uses (cell B10) to use the year with the minimum cumulative free cash flow, as EBITDA could turn positive. “Cash flow – Demo” tab, row 59 formulae corrected the sign of the taxation component.
LCFF FAQs	16 September 2026	Responses to FAQ 71 and FAQ 148 have been amended.

Questions

Please email LCFF@WSP.com if you have any questions. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions document for further information:

• LCFF FAQs 16.09.2026

This FAQ document will be updated and published regularly.

Please note that negotiation of the grant terms & conditions will not be possible. However, should you identify any element that prevents you from applying, please inform us at LCFF@WSP.com.