IIP to sign MoU with Airbus for sustainable aviation fuel

The Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) is going to sign a MoU with a European global aerospace corporation, Airbus, to develop, test and certify indigenous Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in India as the global industry is pushing to meet ambitious net-zero decarbonisation goals by 2050.

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The MoU is expected to be made public Thursday at the Wings India 2024 in Hyderabad. The Dehradun-based IIP has developed hydroprocessed esters and fatty acid (HEFA) based sustainable aviation fuel, derived from waste such as of edible oil, and have tested them in a commercial flight and even in Indian Air Force aircrafts, IIP Director Dr Harender Singh Bhist exclusively told businessline while confirming about the MoU that is to be inked with the Airbus.

Sustainable aviation fuel

It is blended ten percent in the normal aviation fuel to reduce carbon emission and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) wants to make use of SAF mandatory for airlines from 2027 onwards, Bhist elaborated. While we have invented the alternative fuel, the Airbus will bring its aviation expertise for common good including testing and getting market access, the Director commented to suggest that the MoU will be a harbinger of ecosystem required to execute Carbon Offfsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) of the ICAO.

The Civil Aviation Ministry is trying to implement the SAF gradually by increasing the blending percentage in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) to reduce carbon emission. From 2027, 1 percent indicative blending initially for international flights would be introduced which would be increased to arrive at 2 percent blending target the following year, the petroleum ministry said late last year. The Ministry had notified a National Policy on Bio Fuels 2018 to achieve the goal of de-carbonization of aviation sector.

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“The HEFA development is at a trial stage and we will go for commercialisation of the SAF in future and for that we will have to explore partners,” the IIP Director stated.

The collaboration

IIP sources said that the collaboration the global aerospace firm will help to evolve to a situation where the indigenious SAF is no longer a blending agent but is able of replacing the fossil fuel completely. The Airbus family of aircrafts and helicopters, both commercial or military, are capable of flying on maximum 50 percent blended fuel.

The Indian Air Force’s AN-32 and Donier aircrafts have flown on the blended SAF, said Bhist. One of them flew on the environment friendly fuel on January 26 flypast in 2018, he recalled. According to Bhist, a commercial airliner also flew on the blended fuel developed by the IIP in the past to showcase that it’s possible for the aircraft to switch over to the alternative source of energy.

India has decided not to participate in the voluntary two of the three phases of CORSIA, rolled out in 2021 and would continue till 2026. Rather, the offsetting requirement under the CORSIA for Indian careers will kickstart from 2027 to enable them to buy time to mature and avoid any financial implications born out of joining the voluntary phases under the CORSIA.

To mitigate impact of carbon emissions from the aviation sector on climate change, the ICAO has outlined aspiration goals that include 2 percent annual fuel efficiency improvement to arrive at carbon neutral growth from 2020 onwards to eventually clock net zero emission in the next three decades after that.