Masdar and Airbus team up on SAF production: UAE renewables company Masdar signed an agreement with French aircraft manufacturer Airbus to jointly develop sustainable aviation fuels, green hydrogen, and direct air capture technologies, according to a statement. The agreement also sees the companies jointly launching a book and claims framework that would enable aircraft operators to source their SAF supplies without being geographically connected to a stockpile site.

The details: Both companies will partner on developing direct air capture tech — which unlike conventional carbon capture, usage and storage technologies (CCUS) technologies sequesters greenhouse gasses before they are released into the atmosphere — with the aim of using the captured CO2 to fuse it with hydrogen and generate sustainable aviation fuels, the statement notes. Masdar is looking to capture as much of a share of the global SAF market, which is expected to grow at a CAGR rate of 42.39% to USD 14 bn by 2032, the company notes, citing market forecasts by Precedence Research.

Masdar is already making moves in the SAF generation front: Masdar, Emirates airlines, Adnoc, and Tadweer partnered up to launch a joint feasibility study with BP on the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) using solid waste and renewables-sourced hydrogen under an agreement signed back in January. The study will also explore the possibility of producing other products including renewable diesel and naphtha. Based on the results of the study, the companies could potentially set up the region’s first commercial-scale SAF production facility in Abu Dhabi.