Etihad Airways and partners launch industry roadmap for sustainable production of aviation biofuels in UAE
Etihad Airways, together with Boeing, Total, Takreer and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, launched a joint industry roadmap for the sustainable production of aviation biofuels in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The “BIOjet Abu Dhabi: Flight Path to Sustainability” report outlines a set of recommended industry actions to create a commercially viable domestic aviation biofuel industry, a first for the Middle East.
The BIOjet Abu Dhabi roadmap is the culmination of an extensive year-long dialogue between Etihad Airways, its four BIOjet Abu Dhabi partners, and UAE and global stakeholders. It explains Abu Dhabi’s potential to produce aviation biofuel locally, in a sustainable way, taking into account the entire supply chain, from feedstock supplies to biorefining and distribution.
“The industry’s license to grow can only be granted if we find and implement ways to lower the carbon footprint of commercial aviation,” said Etihad Airways President and CEO James Hogan.
“Together with our partners, we are proud to present our roadmap to encourage greater commitment from the industry and local community in establishing a sustainable biofuel supply chain in the UAE – the next logical step in Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy commitments. The formation of a viable UAE aviation biofuel industry in Abu Dhabi presents significant opportunity for the capital’s ongoing economic diversification initiatives.”
The roadmap explores how a supply chain can be established in the UAE through the exploration of sustainable feedstocks, new infrastructure requirements and necessary policy frameworks.
The BIOjet Abu Dhabi roadmap builds on local research undertaken by the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium, led by the Masdar Institute, whose flagship project is the Integrated Seawater Energy and Agriculture System or ISEAS. ISEAS is an initiative to develop a unique form of agriculture, producing food and energy products on traditionally non-arable desert land irrigated with seawater. The pilot ISEAS facility is currently under construction within Masdar City.
