Airbus, airline SAS, Swedish energy company Vattenfall and airport operators Avinor and Swedavia have signed a MoU to work together to develop infrastructure for hydrogen aviation in Sweden and Norway. The partners will undertake a feasibility study covering both countries and over 50 airports, and will develop a framework and review the conditions for a possible roll-out. The one-year study, with the possibility of an extension, will also look at scenarios for the potential number of hydrogen-powered aircraft movements and the volume of hydrogen required that would need to be stored at the airports. Hydrogen is a crucial component of the aviation sector’s energy transition but will require airports to adapt to new procedures linked to refuelling, safety and fire protection, as well as the handling of liquid hydrogen.

The framework will cover the entire chain, from production and transport to storage and hydrogen refuelling at commercial airports. By bringing together competencies that cover all aspects of aviation, the collaboration aims to create an overall picture of the conditions required to enable the transition to hydrogen-powered aviation, say the partners. The work will also identify the pathways to select which airports will be transformed first to operate hydrogen-powered aircraft in both countries, as well as the accompanying regulatory framework.

“Swedavia, Avinor and SAS have already established successful collaborations in fossil-free aviation, and it is therefore exciting that Airbus, with its extensive knowledge of hydrogen-powered aircraft through its ZEROe initiative, and Vattenfall, with its expertise in electricity and energy production, are joining us in a more in-depth collaboration,” said Swedavia CEO Jonas Abrahamsson.

“Hydrogen is expected to gradually become an increasing part of the aviation industry’s fuel mix in the future and will therefore have an increasing effect on the infrastructure and planning of our airports.”

The switch to hydrogen-powered aviation is a complex process, says the Swedish airport operator, and infrastructure will have to be adapted due to the need to store hydrogen and, potentially, to enable the production of hydrogen at, or in close proximity, to airports.

Norway, as well as Sweden, is well positioned to be an early mover in the introduction of hydrogen-powered aircraft, believes Avinor CEO Abraham Foss. “As the owner of 43 airports across Norway, Avinor has already been working on sustainability for many years and has taken a position to be a driving force and facilitator for the green transition of Norwegian aviation,” he said.

Commented Anna Borg, CEO of Vattenfall: “Aviation is a hard to abate industry where breaking away from fossil fuels is a huge challenge today. This cross-border collaboration, however, demonstrates the willingness to bring about change. We look forward to contributing our expertise in electricity market development, electrical infrastructure and hydrogen production in Sweden.”

Airbus unveiled its first ZEROe hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft in 2020, aiming to bring it to market by 2035. It also launched its Hydrogen Hub at Airports programme (see graphic below) to jumpstart research into infrastructure requirements and low-carbon airport operations. Airbus has already signed agreements with partners and airports in ten countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

“Hydrogen stands out as a key enabler as we pioneer a sustainable aviation future,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources. I am very pleased to enter into this cooperation with partners fully engaged to take significant steps towards decarbonising aerospace. It fits perfectly with our strategy of deploying hydrogen aviation ecosystems in the most suitable parts of the world.”

In January, Airbus opened a ZEROe Development Centre (ZEDC) at its Stade, Germany, site. The centre will accelerate the development of composite hydrogen system technologies for storing cryogenic liquid hydrogen, said Airbus. ZEDC Stade is part of a network of development centres for technologies to decarbonise the aerospace industry and complement other Airbus sites in Europe to get a hydrogen-powered aircraft in the sky by the middle of the next decade.

Top image (Airbus): Turboprop concept of ZEROe hydrogen-powered aircraft at the airport

Christopher Surgenor

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In her New Year address, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the government will set an ambitious goal this year that by 2025 Danes must be able to “fly green” on a domestic route and by 2030 at the latest “fly completely green” domestically. The 2030 target has been interpreted that all flights within Denmark must be fossil fuel-free by the end of this decade. She also revealed “a new and ambitious” carbon tax would be put forward during 2022 to ensure climate polluting companies pay for their emissions. Domestic flights in 2019 totalled around 30,000 although the number has halved during the Covid pandemic. National carrier SAS welcomed the announcement as “very positive” and said it looked forward to a dialogue with the government on how the 2030 goal could be achieved, although the airline stressed it would require investment in the large-scale production of electrofuels.

“We must solve the biggest and most important challenge of our time: the climate crisis. Rising temperatures are destroying our planet,” said Frederiksen in her national New Year’s Day address. “2021 was a year in which we, with broad agreement, took decisive steps on the road to a green future. This year we will decide on a new and ambitious tax on CO2. It must ensure that companies that pollute the climate pay for their emissions. Many are already in the process of adjusting, for others it will take longer. The Danish principle that the widest shoulders should carry the most must also apply in the green transition – if you emit CO2 then you have to pay.

“When other countries in the world are too slow then Denmark must take the lead and raise the bar even more. This also applies to air traffic. To travel is to live and that is why we fly, but at the same time it is harmful to our climate. We need to make it green to fly.”

She conceded the goals the government intended to set would be difficult to achieve. “Are they possible? Yes, I think so,” she said. “We are already on our way. Skilled researchers and companies are working on the solutions. If we succeed then it will be a green breakthrough, not just for Denmark but for the whole world. If there is anything the past few years have taught us, it is that in dealing with major crises, we must never hesitate.”

A spokesperson for SAS confirmed that the government’s pledge that all domestic flights must be “completely green” meant fossil fuel-free and with zero CO2 emissions. The government has already set up 14 industry Climate Partnerships, with one group formed for aviation. Chaired by SAS COO Simon Pauck Hansen, the aviation group comprises airlines, airports, academia and unions. Its recommendations presented to the government last year included support for a longer-term global CO2e tax to fund the cost of the energy transition, with an interim national climate fund financed by a small contribution of around €4 from each departing passenger. The group also recommended the formation of a master plan for a Power-to-X infrastructure to produce electrofuels for aviation, along with facilities for carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

“The group set a goal of a 70% reduction in carbon emissions on domestic flights by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, which it found to be realistic given the prerequisites at the time, and we look forward to discussing with the government on how to reach the new target of 100%,” the SAS spokesperson told GreenAir. “We expect, of course, that the prerequisites will have to change.”

She said the climate partnership group itself had high ambitions for Danish aviation to be sustainable. “The fact that the Danish government has now announced they also have the same ambitions, we see as very positive,” she said. “This way we all work towards the same goal: to make flying more sustainable. Key elements for success are the future availability of electrofuels and their price, which requires investments in facilities for large-scale production.

“The government’s 2030 goal is exciting and we look forward to a dialogue on how we will jointly achieve it for Danish domestic aviation.”

She added that SAS was looking at a number of technologies under development. “It remains to be seen how and what we can use in the future,” she said.

In November, SAS announced it would take part in a joint study with Vattenfall, Shell and LanzaTech to investigate the large-scale production of synthetic SAF in Sweden using LanzaJet’s alcohol-to-jet technology. The goal is for a new production facility situated on Sweden’s east coast to produce up to 50,000 tonnes of synthetic SAF annually sometime between 2026 and 2027 from fossil-free electricity and recycled CO2 from district heating.

“Our joint commitment in finding ways to enable large-scale production of a more sustainable aviation fuel is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF, and thus SAS’s transition towards industry-leading, zero-emission flights,” commented Anko van der Werff, CEO of SAS.

The Danish government has been keen to support the use of new power sources for aviation, including green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels. It has been critical though of the European Commission’s SAF blending mandate proposals.

“I’m concerned that the proposals are too weak and the bar needs to be set much higher,” said Denmark’s Minister of Transport, Benny Engelbrecht, at a State of Green roundtable event held at the Danish pavilion during COP26. He added passengers would have to expect to pay extra for the introduction of new green fuels but he considered the higher cost would be minimal.

Photo: Copenhagen Airports A/S

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A major partnership has been formed by SAS Scandinavian Airlines, Swedish energy company Vattenfall, Shell Aviation and LanzaTech to explore the large-scale production in Sweden of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel, using carbon dioxide recycled from district heating, reports Tony Harrington. By 2026-27, the consortium plans to commission a new SAF facility near Forsmark, on Sweden’s east coast, with capacity to produce up to 50,000 tonnes of synthetic SAF, or electrofuel, per annum. The plant would use fossil-free electricity to convert CO2 collected from Vattenfall’s heat and power plant in Uppsala, near Stockholm and, when fully operational, would be able to provide SAS with up to 25% of its global SAF requirements in the 2030s. It would be the first synthetic SAF produced through the LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet (AtJ) process, developed by Illinois-based LanzaTech and the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).

To create the fuel, fossil-free electricity would be used to develop hydrogen via electrolysis. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen would then be combined and converted to ethanol, and the ethanol would be transformed into electrofuel. Under the terms of the four-party agreement, Vattenfall would investigate fossil-free electricity supply, hydrogen production and carbon dioxide recovery; Shell would investigate fuel production and logistics, and be the electrofuel buyer; and LanzaTech would deploy its gas fermentation expertise to make ethanol from the input gas streams. The parties collectively would license the LanzaJet AtJ technology to convert the ethanol to electrofuel, and SAS would be a potential buyer of the fuel for use in its global fleet.

“The aviation sector faces incredible challenges getting the volumes of SAF needed for sustainable flight,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “This project is the start of delivering on these volumes, and by reusing carbon dioxide and fossil-free power we have an opportunity for unprecedented scale. We need to rethink carbon, and together with fossil-free power, harness it to create a new climate-safe future for all.”

Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation, said sustainable aviation fuel offered the greatest potential to reduce emissions from aviation. “It is only by working together today across the aviation ecosystem to drive the technologies and infrastructure needed to produce SAF at scale that the aviation sector can achieve net zero by 2050,” she said. “I am excited for this collaboration to explore one more pathway for SAF production.”

Added Vattenfall CEO Anna Borg: “This initiative shows the potential of cross-industry partnerships to drive the decarbonisation of a hard-to-abate sector, to innovate faster in order to bridge to fossil-free living within one generation. This is a really good opportunity, and together we will explore further how to produce low emission electrofuel for aviation.”   

SAS serves 90 destinations with a fleet ranging from turboprop ATR 72-600s to next-generation Airbus A320neos, A321LRs and long range A350s. “We are incredibly proud to be part of this unique project, where ambitious sustainability goals and agendas come together,” said Anko van der Werff, the airline’s CEO. “Our joint commitment in finding ways to enable large-scale production of a more sustainable aviation fuel is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF, and thus SAS’s transition towards industry-leading zero emission flights.”

The Vattenfall evaluation is one of four power-to-liquids projects currently being undertaken by LanzaTech, including a feasibility study with Carbon Engineering to evaluate the direct capture of carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to sustainable aviation fuel.

The announcement of the Swedish electrofuel initiative coincides with strong industry concerns about a lack of sufficient production and distribution capacity to meet growing demand for SAF, driven by airline sustainability objectives and escalating blending mandates in Europe.

The industry’s Air Transport Action Group, in its Waypoint 2050 report, has estimated 330-445 million tonnes of SAF would be needed globally for airlines to achieve their 2050 net emissions targets, but assessed only 180 million tonnes was likely to be available for aviation use. The report also forecast that between 5,000 and 7,000 new refineries would also be needed to meet SAF demand in that period.

SkyNRG, a major global provider of SAF, has separately estimated that for Europe alone to meet its current, escalating blending mandates, 300 new SAF plants would be required by 2050, each producing 100,000 tonnes of fuel per year. But the report said just 15 new plants were proposed for construction in Europe by 2027, requiring more than 10 new facilities each year between 2027 and 2050.   

Maarten van Dijk, Managing Director of SkyNRG, said demand for SAF production facilities provided a significant opportunity for infrastructure investors. He told GreenAir that global investors wanted to support the transition to low carbon energy and were seeking opportunities. “There’s an insane amount of money out there at the moment,” he said. “There’s just a shortage of investment-grade sustainable developments. Institutional investors have trillions to invest, and they need new future-proof industries. This is one.”

Photo: SAS