Boeing and Zero Petroleum have signed an agreement at Dubai Airshow to work together to advance sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The companies will jointly establish a testing program at the University of Sheffield’s Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) and its SAF research facility in the UK.
“SAF is our industry’s biggest lever in reducing emissions today and into the future, but we need more of it now to enable those reductions,” said Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of environmental sustainability. “Working with innovators around the world such as Zero is crucial as we collaborate to develop new, sustainable pathways to produce and scale-up SAF.”
Zero’s technology produces SAF from air and water. The hydrocarbon fuel obtains carbon from direct air capture and hydrogen from water electrolysis. The UK-based energy company will benefit from Boeing’s initiative to help innovative fuel producers test, mature and scale SAF utilizing its collaboration with the EIC and Boeing’s global SAF and aerospace expertise.
“The aviation industry needs to move quickly to meet upcoming mandates for de-fossilization and synthetic fuels provide the only fully scalable solution,” said Paddy Lowe, CEO of Zero. “We have already developed and tested our 100% drop-in synthetic jet fuel and collaborating with Boeing will now enable us to accelerate the qualification process and put us on course for commercial delivery by 2026. Our collaboration with Boeing sets an industry precedent for the recognition and support for synthetic fuels in the global pivot to sustainable solutions.”
The agreement, which was announced at Dubai Airshow, follows Boeing’s work to help scale SAF globally through industry partnerships and policy advocacy, investments in product compatibility work and Boeing’s own fuel use.
Image (L-R): Brian Moran, Boeing vice president of Global Sustainability Policy and Partnerships; Paddy Lowe, CEO of Zero; Sheila Remes, Boeing vice president of Environmental Sustainability; Dr. Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global; and Oliver Christian, British Consul General to Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan. (Boeing photo)
