Abu Dhabi’s clean energy firm Masdar to work with Airbus to develop clean fuel

The Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar has signed an agreement with aviation giant Airbus to develop the sustainable aviation fuel market.

The agreement will cover sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), green hydrogen, and direct air capture technologies, as well as supporting the development and implementation of book-and-claim solutions.

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The signing ceremony was held in the presence of Sultan al-Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry, Chairman of Masdar and COP28 President-Designate; Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO; and Mohamed al-Ramahi, Masdar CEO.

The agreement was signed by Mohammad El Ramahi, Chief Green Hydrogen Officer at Masdar and Mikail Houari, President of Airbus Africa and Middle East.

“This MoU with Airbus further amplifies Masdar’s commitment to accelerating the reduction of global carbon emissions and pioneering worldwide efforts towards decarbonization. We look forward to working closely with Airbus to support the development of the global sustainable aviation fuel market and to exploring the adoption of creative low carbon solutions in support of net zero,” al-Ramahi was quoted as saying in a statement.

“We have a legacy of successful collaborations in the UAE that has contributed to advancing the country's aerospace sector capabilities. This new agreement with Masdar marks yet another milestone in the partnership between Airbus and the UAE,” Houari was quoted as saying in a statement.

Direct Air Capture technologies enable the capture of atmospheric carbon dioxide which could, in combination with hydrogen be used to produce synthetic SAF.

The use of SAF based on Green Hydrogen and Direct Air Capture is estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 percent when compared to conventional jet fuel with the global sustainable aviation fuel market expected to grow to over US$14bn by 2032, according to Precedence Research.

Earlier this year, during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Masdar announced that it is actively working with licensors to certify a new production pathway for SAF from methanol.

Established in 2006, Masdar is active in over 40 countries and has invested in a portfolio of renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of around 20 gigawatts.

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