KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, working with sustainable aviation fuel company, SkyNRG, and SHV Energy, and a number of other partners, are collaborating to build a plant, scheduled to be opened in 2022, in Delfzijl, in the Netherlands, which turns regional waste and residue streams, such as cooking oils, into ‘sustainable aviation fuel’ (SAF) i.e. low carbon fuel. From 2022, the plant will produce 100,000 tonnes a year, of which KLM will purchase 75,000 tonnes. This will reduce KLM’s CO2 emissions by 200,000 tonnes a year, which is equal to the emissions released by 1,000 KLM flights between Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro.
Airlines continue to search for low carbon fuel solutions, with KLM committed to a 10-year period to develop and purchase 75,000 tonnes of SAF a year. The problem has been that not enough sustainable aviation fuel is currently being produced. KLM is the first global airline to invest in SAF on this scale, with the plant being the first in the world dedicated to the production of SAF.
Sustainable aviation fuel delivers a CO2 reduction of at least 85%, compared to fossil fuel. The use of SAF will also contribute to a significant decrease in ultra-fine particles and sulphur emissions. SAF is a necessary short-term option the commercial aviation industry has, to reduce CO2 emissions in the short term, in addition to fleet renewal and operational efficiency gains.
Pieter Elbers, KLM President & CEO: “I am proud of our collaboration with SkyNRG and SHV Energy to launch a project that will see the development of the first European production facility for sustainable aviation fuel. The advent of aviation has had a major impact on the world, offering a new means of bringing people closer together. This privilege goes hand in hand with huge responsibility towards our planet.“
