Etihad Airways is exploring the potential use of synthetic fuel – hydrogen mixed with carbon – on flights, according to the airline’s head of sustainability and business excellence.
Mariam al-Qubaisi said the UAE flag carrier is working with Siemens Energy, Abu Dhabi-based clean energy firm Masdar and Japan’s Marubeni Corporation to explore the production of synthetic fuel (SAF) as part of a wider strategy to use sustainable aviation fuel.
“In an effort to explore other sources of SAF feedstock in the UAE, Etihad is embarking upon a project with Masdar, Marubeni, Siemens Energy and a number of industrial partners to explore the potential of producing synthetic kerosene from green hydrogen,” Qubaisi said in an interview with S&P Global Platts.
“We really hope that it will be one of the many options we can use for de-carbonisation,” she added.
In January, Mubadala and Siemens Energy signed a deal to create a strategic partnership to drive investment and development of advanced technology, manufacture of equipment, and green hydrogen and synthetic fuel production.
The initial focus of activity will be in Abu Dhabi and it is intended this will be expanded to international markets over time.
The UAE is jumping on the energy transition bandwagon after the country’s passenger air transport industry emitted 21.1 million metric tons of CO2 in 2018, making it the sixth biggest polluter globally, according to data from the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Etihad last year committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a 50 percent reduction in net emissions by 2035, and a 20 percent reduction in emissions intensity in its passenger fleet by 2025. In October, it sold a $600 million Islamic bond linked to its carbon reduction targets.
In January 2019, Etihad flew a Boeing 787 using a blend of conventional jet fuel and SAF, derived from oil in Salicornia plants, which were grown on a two-hectare farm in clean-energy Masdar City in Abu Dhabi.
The Greenliner program is the umbrella under which all Etihad sustainability initiatives sit.
“Our de-carbonisation strategy is three-fold – operational efficiencies, SAFs and offsets,” Qubaisi said in the interview, adding: “Operational efficiency is captured in our new, fuel-efficient fleet and ever-developing operation standards to decrease fuel burn and therefore emissions. SAFs look into diversifying cleaner aviation fuel, be it in the form of a biofuel or synthetic kerosene. Etihad is also keen to develop the region’s potential for the production of SAF.”
“Our industry needs the financial support of governments to make SAF a realistic alternative to jet fuel,” Qubaisi also told S&P Global Platts.
The Greenliner program is the umbrella under which all Etihad sustainability initiatives sit. The airline has a specially branded 787-10 aircraft for this program.
Etihad has committed to have at least four ecoFlights per year, where such a flight consumes 15 percent less fuel than a regular one.
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