Thursday 7 October 2021

Lufthansa first customer of carbon-neutral and electricity-based aviation fuel

Lufthansa will become the first customer of the ‘world’s first’ industrial plant producing carbon-neutral and electricity-based kerosene jet fuel.

The plant is operated by Atmosfair and is based in the town of Werlte in Lower Saxony, Germany.

It produces synthetic aircraft fuel from water, carbon dioxide and renewable electricity.

The German airline has agreed to purchase at least 25,000 litres of the fuel each year for the next five years and hopes to promote the market development of more carbon-neutral synthetic kerosene.

Prior to this, Lufthansa used sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) made from agricultural waste or cooking oil, as carbon-neutral synthetic fuels were not available at an industrial level; only in laboratory quantities.

These fuels are called power-to-liquid or PtL fuels.

Christina Foerster from the Executive Board, Lufthansa, said: "Lufthansa's airlines have been focusing on the research and use of SAF for many years.

“We are currently the largest customer in Europe. Synthetic fuels from renewable energies are the kerosene of the future. They enable carbon-neutral aviation.

“Through our partnership with Atmosfair, the Lufthansa Group takes the lead again and provides a boost to the production of PtL."