Rolls-Royce remains committed to sustainable aviation fuels
In the UK, Proactive Investors reported that Rolls-Royce Holdings has said it won’t modify its net zero plans, following a report which claimed sustainable aviation fuels are not a viable solution to decarbonize air travel. “SAF remains a key part of our sustainability strategy,” a company spokesperson reportedly said. “The scalability and availability of SAF is a well-known challenge and one that the whole aviation industry is focused on solving.” A recent report from Royal Society scientists concluded that nearly half of the UK’s agricultural land will be needed to produce enough SAF to achieve net zero goals. “We need to be very clear about the strengths, limitations, and challenges […] if we are to scale up the required new technologies” to cut emissions, scientist Graham Hutchings said in the Royal Society report. Rolls-Royce said it was still committed to rolling out engines capable of running solely on SAFs regardless, adding its Trent 1000 engine, targeted at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will be a proven quantity by late 2023. The engines are already certified to run on a 50% SAF-blend and are set to power the first net-zero transatlantic flight by Virgin Atlantic later this year. “In step with the UK aviation industry, we’re seeking government support to promote domestic production of SAF to help decarbonize aviation and improve GDP, jobs and export outcomes,” the company said.
Category: SAF
