Masdar is teaming up with Boeing to propel the SAF industry in the UAE and beyond: UAE renewables giant Masdar has signed an MoU with US aircraft maker Boeing to advance and support the development and adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) policies and projects locally and abroad, according to a company statement published on Thursday. The companies will also explore advancing SAF accounting principles to help the SAF sector overcome geographical barriers as it scales up, the statement added. The agreement was signed by Masdar’s Chief Green Hydrogen Officer Mohammad El Ramahi and Boeing president Middle East, Turkey, and Africa Kuljit Ghata-Aura on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), which concluded on Thursday.

What they said: “We are excited to team up with Masdar to spearhead the growth of the sustainable aviation fuel industry, both locally and globally, which will enable job creation, economic growth and significant business opportunities. Adopting SAF is going to be aviation's most powerful decarbonization lever,” Ghata-Aura said in the statement.

Masdar signed a similar agreement with France’s Airbus in May: Masdar and French aircraft manufacturer Airbus signed an agreement in May to jointly develop sustainable aviation fuels, green hydrogen, and direct air capture technologies. The agreement also involves 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.

And is working with others to certify a new production pathway for SAF from methanol: Masdar partnered with Siemens Energy, Marubeni, and TotalEnergies in January to obtain licenses certifying the feasibility of producing sustainable aviation fuel from methanol gas. The Masdar-led consortium is working with the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Lufthansa, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and Emirates Airways in parallel to launch a pilot project to produce SAF and green aviation fuel.

But Adnoc beat Masdar to it last week: Adnoc’s Ruwais Refinery has received International Sustainability Carbon Certification (ISCC) for the production of SAF. The certification allows Adnoc, the first in the Middle East to earn the certification, to supply international airlines with its SAF at Abu Dhabi Airport. The first batch of the fuel will be available later this month.

Masdar has big SAF dreams: Masdar is looking to capture as much as it can 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 said earlier this year, citing market forecasts by Precedence Research.