TotalEnergies has been welcomed by Masdar to join a Masdar-led effort to produce sustainable aviation fuel from green hydrogen (SAF).
On the sidelines of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2022, Masdar, Siemens Energy, and TotalEnergies signed a collaboration agreement to co-develop a demonstrator plant project at Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban development.
Francois Good, Senior Vice President, Refining and Petrochemicals Africa Middle East and Asia at TotalEnergies, said, “We are very pleased to partner with Masdar and Siemens Energy to meet the challenge of decarbonizing air transport through sustainable aviation fuel from green hydrogen. In this project, TotalEnergies brings its expertise in renewables energy as well as SAF manufacturing and marketing advanced sustainable fuel production with the aim of acting directly on the carbon intensity of the energy products used by our customers. This is in-line with our strategy of building a multi-energy company with the ambition to get to net zero by 2050 together with society.”
Dietmar Siersdorfer, Managing Director Middle East and UAE, Siemens Energy, said, “Green hydrogen has a vital role to play in the decarbonization of many industries, with the aviation sector presenting an excellent opportunity. With deep expertise in electrolyzers and plant integration we understand that collaboration is vital to success. We’re excited to have a longstanding and strong partner such as TotalEnergies bring its expertise to help accelerate this landmark project.”
Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said, “Today’s signing and the participation of TotalEnergies as a co-developer represents a significant step forward for this exciting project. The demonstrator plant will help to establish the commercial viability of green hydrogen as an essential decarbonized fuel of the future, and will support Abu Dhabi’s development as a green hydrogen hub. While the hydrogen market is still at a comparatively early stage, we firmly believe that by working together with international partners on projects such as this, we can help the hydrogen market develop its full potential and it will really take off in the years to come.”
At ADSW 2021 last year, Masdar announced that it was working with Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa Group, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Siemens Energy and Marubeni Corporation on the demonstration plant initiative. This collaboration was announced in advance of ADSW 2021. Following its participation in the initiative, TotalEnergies will offer its expertise in SAF production, offloading, and supplying the participating airlines.
Partners in the initiative have been evaluating technology suppliers, conducting feasibility studies, and developing conceptual designs since January 2021. They have also worked closely with regulators to ensure that the designs are compliant. Early in the new year, the team hopes to begin front-end engineering design (FEED).
The co-developers believe that the demonstrator project can pave the way for commercial production of SAF by leveraging their respective areas of expertise across the energy spectrum and their local and global market reach.
