In the UAE Year of Sustainability, and at the 3rd ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) was held in Dubai, eight founding entities announced the launch of the “Air-CRAFT” initiative - a UAE based research consortium focused on developing, producing, and scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technologies.
Air-CRAFT, or the UAE Centre for Renewable and Advanced Fuel Technologies for Aviation, is a first-of-its-kind initiative that will bring together entities across the value chain – industrial policy makers, aviation regulators, fuel producers, academia and researchers, aircraft and powerplant manufacturers, and airline operators. While based in the UAE, the consortium will also engage with, and welcome the participation of relevant international entities as it progresses. The new initiative was announced on the sidelines of CAAF/3 today and ahead of COP28.
Potential research topics at Air-CRAFT include environmental impact assessments, feedstock and process optimization, and techno-economic assessments. Air-CRAFT will also establish relevant links with other academic and research institutions in the UAE and internationally.
The consortium’s industrial and institutional partners will provide market demand, expertise, and technology to support research into the production of alternative fuels for the aviation sector, and extends an open invitation to UAE and international entities to join the consortium. Air-CRAFT is already in advanced discussions with key and strategic global players to be announced in due course.
Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior VP for International Affairs, Emirates Airline, said: “Emirates supports initiatives that contribute to the deployment of SAF. We’ve contributed to the development of the UAE’s National SAF Roadmap and power-to-liquids fuel roadmaps, and believe the UAE is uniquely placed to lead in this space with its policies, technology and infrastructure capabilities. We see Air-CRAFT as a solid platform to progress the National SAF roadmap into reality, and we are proud to be one of the launch entities.”
The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has published the National SAF Roadmap which has five principles to guide the industry in accelerating the decarbonization of the sector and transform it into a regional hub for alternative aviation fuels. The five principles are:
1. Establishing the Ambition: 700 million liters of SAF by 2030
2. Accelerating SAF Technology Deployment and Innovation
3. Developing the National Regulatory Environment for SAF
4. Building Local Capacity to Boost In-Country Value
5. Leading International Collaboration
The Center for Renewable and Advanced Fuel Technologies for Aviation (Air-CRAFT) will pursue the industrialization of SAF production and create an ecosystem to address the five principles of the National SAF Roadmap.
Source: Emirates