For the first time, a passenger flight partly flown on sustainably produced synthetic kerosene was carried out in The Netherlands. This was announced during the international conference on Synthetic Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in The Hague. Shell Netherlands, the producer of the sustainable kerosene and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), operating the flight, presented this showcase during the meeting initiated by Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister for Infrastructure and Water Management.
Held on February 8, 2021, the conference was attended by European politicians, policymakers, representatives from the business community, the aviation industry and value chain, and NGOs. The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in Europe that aim to boost the development and application of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to make aviation more sustainable.
Several European politicians, including European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, the German transport minister Andreas Scheuer and his French counterpart Jean-Baptiste Djebbari who is also an aircraft pilot, underlined the importance of developing sustainably produced aviation fuels to reduce CO2 emissions and give aviation a good future.
The Netherlands wants to stimulate the development and application of SAF (biofuels and synthetic kerosene) so European airlines will be able to fly entirely on sustainable fuel by 2050. The Dutch government supports various initiatives to stimulate production and use and thereby make it commercially viable.
Making aviation more sustainable is an international challenge that we face together. Today we are taking a great step in the new chapter of aviation. This promising innovation will be of great importance in the coming decades to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation. It is great that in the Netherlands we were the first to show that this is possible: a big compliment for all involved. I hope that, in these turbulent times for aviation, this will inspire people in the sector to continue on this course, said Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management.
The construction of the first European facility for sustainable biokerosene in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, for which SkyNRG is collaborating with KLM, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), and SHV Energy, is one example.
I am proud that KLM is today operating the industry-first flight using synthetic kerosene made from renewable sources. The transition from fossil fuel to sustainable alternatives is one of the largest challenges in aviation. Fleet renewal contributed significantly to the reduction of CO2 emissions, but the upscaling of production and the use of sustainable aviation fuel will make the biggest difference for the current generation of aircraft. That is why we teamed up with various partners some time ago, to stimulate the development of sustainable synthetic kerosene. This first flight on synthetic kerosene shows that it is possible in practice and that we can move forward, said Pieter Elbers, CEO of KLM.
500 litres of synthetic SAF
As announced during the conference, the first commercial passenger flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) to Madrid (MAD) in Spain last month was conducted using an admixture of 500 liters of sustainable synthetic kerosene. The synthetic SAF was produced by Shell in its research center in Amsterdam and is based on carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and renewable electricity from Dutch wind and solar installations.
Shell is an active player in the energy transition and our contribution to this world-first is an example of this. I am extremely proud that we have succeeded in producing 500 litres of jet fuel for the first time based on CO2, water, and renewable energy. It is an important first step and together with our partners we now need to scale up, accelerate and make it commercially viable, said Marjan van Loon, President and CEO Shell Netherlands.
New initiatives and startups
During the conference, the stage was set for various new initiatives and startups. The start-up Synkero announced that it is collaborating with Port of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, KLM, and SkyNRG on the realization of a commercial synthetic sustainable kerosene plant in the Port of Amsterdam.
The project seeks to link with sustainable initiatives in the North Sea Canal area, such as the establishment of a 100 MW hydrogen plant where up to 15 000 tonnes of green hydrogen can be produced with sustainable electricity.
Another initiative is the construction of a demonstration facility for sustainable kerosene using captured CO2 from the air as a raw material in Rotterdam. The Zenid initiative, in which Uniper, Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), Climeworks, SkyNRG, and Rotterdam The Hague Innovation Airport (RHIA) are participating, uses a combination of innovative technologies to focus on CO2-neutral aviation with sustainable synthetic kerosene.
Call for European blending obligation
Various European member states have indicated during the conference that they want to work on this. In a joint statement, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Germany, Finland, Luxembourg, and Spain indicate that recovery from the current crisis due to the pandemic must go hand in hand with accelerating the sustainability of the aviation sector in order to achieve climate goals and call on the European Commission to come up with a European blending obligation.
The Member States view the development of sustainable synthetic kerosene in addition to sustainable biokerosene as one of the most promising and effective ways to reduce aviation emissions in the coming decades.
