CEPSA and Etihad work together on creating 'green' airline fuel 

SPANISH petroleum giant CEPSA has struck a deal with Etihad airlines to work on carbon-free flights in the near future, and will be undertaking extensive research on how to produce aircraft fuel from clean and renewable sources.

During the ADIPEC exhibition currently taking place in Abu Dhabi, the nationwide service station chain company led by Maarten Wetselaar signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Emirates-based carrier in a bid to achieve one of the key United Nations Agenda 2030 objectives.

Air travel as a major culprit in the climate change crisis has been highlighted in the past few years – largely thanks to young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, whose high-profile boycott of planes is well documented – but in addition to being a huge industry that provides essential employment in itself and through tourism all over the world, it is impractical for the majority of travellers to avoid.

This is especially true of, for example, foreign nationals living or owning holiday homes in Spain, who need access to regular and affordable flights to be able to continue seeing their family of origin.

The challenge is therefore to find ways that the world's population can continue to board aircraft without contributing to rising atmospheric temperatures.

Creating airline fuel via the so-called 'circular economy', using organic material that does not deplete the supply needed for the food industry, could mean substances such as biodegradable waste, or discarded used cooking oil, explains CEPSA's chief executive.

As well as being renewable, meaning not have to plunder ever-decreasing fossil fuel sources, these raw materials turned into fuel would mean cutting aviation emissions by up to 80% of those generated by the standard kerosene-based type.

Wetselaar calls the project 'one of the greatest challenges of this century', whilst Etihad's finance director Adam Boukadida says creating sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) would also, in the longer term, reduce costs for the industry, as production of it could potentially be unlimited.

CEPSA says the deal signed is in line with the European Commission's Fit for 55 measures, which include legislation titled 'Refuel EU Aviation' – a law that seeks to have at least 2% of European Union flights powered by bio-combustible fuel sources by the year 2025, at least 5% by 2030, and a minimum of 63% by 2050.

Among others, CEPSA has recently struck similar agreements with German carrier TUI and the Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling.