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It is an interesting concept. We know that hydrogen costs about 17 per cent more than electricity. If electricity was forced to use hydrogen in the same way that we are doing this, it might bring the cost down and make it easier and cheaper to use hydrogen. It might be a precursor to making hydrogen cheaper. Bob, the next questions are yours.

Just before we close off the evidence session, one thing that has struck me is that we are going to be really short of SAF, and that we will need to produce it at much bigger rates than we are at the moment. Someone—I think that it was Mercedes Maroto-Valer—commented that some of the bigger airlines were using more SAF than anyone else. Surely, if the fuel is in short supply and the big users who have the buying power buy it all up, that is going to put pressure on the smaller airlines, as they will not be able to get their hands on it. By increasing demand for SAF, are we not going to force smaller users out? Do you want to say anything about that, Mercedes?

Good morning, and welcome to the 29th meeting in 2025 of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee. Apologies have been received from Monica Lennon.

Our first item of business is a decision on taking items 3 to 6 in private. Item 3 is consideration of the evidence that we will have heard on the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill legislative consent memorandum. Item 4 is consideration of the appointments process that is being used to fill a vacancy on the board of Environmental Standards Scotland. Item 5 is consideration of a draft report. Item 6 is consideration of our approach to stage 1 scrutiny of the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill. Are we happy to take those items in private?

Members indicated agreement.

Just for the record, when it comes to Aberdeen, we asked Loganair whether it would like to take part in today’s session, because I think that it has some involvement in the use of SAF. Sadly, there seemed to be a clash of diaries, but we might hear from Loganair at a later date.

Mercedes wants to come in.

Item 2 is consideration of the legislative consent memorandum on the United Kingdom Government’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill. A legislative consent motion is laid when a UK bill makes provision in areas that lie within the competence of the Scottish Parliament or that affect the executive competence of the Scottish Government. The committee must report to the Parliament on whether the consent should be granted.

We are also taking the opportunity to look more broadly at the prospects of sustainable aviation fuel production in Scotland and its potential role in reducing greenhouse gases from aviation. That will feed into our work later this year, when we consider transport aspects of the Scottish Government’s forthcoming climate change plan.

The bill aims to create more stable pricing for sustainable aviation fuel to encourage domestic production to grow. That is in parallel with increasing the mandate for the use of SAF by the industry.

The Scottish Government supports the bill overall, but it is withholding its consent, for now, on some technical matters. I hope that we will be able to see a supplementary LCM shortly.

I welcome to the meeting Dr Sebastian Eastham, associate professor in sustainable aviation at Imperial College London; Celeste Hicks, policy manager for the Aviation Environment Federation; Professor Graham Hutchings, regius professor of chemistry at Cardiff University; Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, director of the UK industrial decarbonisation research and innovation centre and the deputy principal of Heriot-Watt University—that is quite a long title; and Mark Morrison, senior consultant at Optimat. Thank you all for giving up your time to attend this morning.

We will move to questions. Celeste Hicks, I understand that you will have to go after about an hour, but a few questions might be asked later than that, so I will try to bring them in earlier. If it appears that we are going out of sync on the subject, it is only so that I can get Celeste’s opinion before she leaves.

The first question is from me and it is a simple one, I think. There are a variety of ways of producing sustainable aviation fuel. Which, in your view, offers the greatest prospect in Scotland and the UK overall? Does the best method of production change over time? Are we going to start somewhere and end somewhere else? Which is best for Scotland? Who would like to start off? Let us start in the room. Mark Morrison, do you want to go with that? You are all going to get a chance to answer this one, but you will not all get a chance at all the other questions.

When we were looking at this, we were given the definition of first generation, second generation and third generation. It always helps me to keep it simple. Which of those categories would power-to-fuel fall into?

Usually, if witnesses are in the room and do not want to answer a question, they can just look away, but three of you are looking assiduously at the camera. Does anyone want to come in? Mercedes, do you want to come in on that?

Sebastian Eastham, I will not ask you whether they are right, but do you agree with them? [Interruption.]

Hold on, we cannot hear you. I will leave you in the hands of the broadcasting team to sign off and come back in again, if that is possible. We will go to Graham Hutchings next.

Is that because there are more tickets?