On the 25th of April, the European Parliament and Council of the European Union announced to have reached a deal on the Fit for 55‘s file ReFuelEU Aviation.
ReFuelEU Aviation aims to set quotas for the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in planes, and in particular renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs), to help defossilise the sector and decrease its carbon footprint.
The deal includes mandatory shares of SAFs to be available at airports, starting at 2% of overall fuel supplied by 2025 and reaching 70% by 2050. It also includes mandatory RFNBOs sub-quotas of 1.2% in 2030 all the way to 35% in 2050. The deal also appears to modify the scope of eligible fuels considered under the SAF definition (including recycled carbon fuels and non-fossil low-carbon fuels). But the exact detail and impact of those modifications must be assessed when the final text is published.
The final legislation sends an unprecedented signal to the industry to ramp up the production of synthetic aviation fuels and for carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) projects such as TAKE-OFF to deploy with legal certainty and long-term visibility.
The TAKE-OFF project aims to develop and industrially validate innovative processes for directly converting CO2 and renewable H2 to light olefins and subsequent conversion to synthetic SAF.
SAF produced through the TAKE-OFF technology could significantly support the aviation industry in reducing its carbon footprint and replacing the utilisation of crude jet fuel products.
Find more about ReFuelEU Aviation here.
