Lufthansa has made an investment in the production of industrially-produced, carbon-neutral, electricity-based kerosene.
The Lufthansa Group is the partner and pilot customer of the world’s first production plant for power-to-liquid aviation fuels. The group has agreed to an annual purchase of at least 25,000 litres for at least five years from the plant in Emsland, Germany with. Logistics companies Lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel are among the first customers for the kerosene.
The plant in Werlte/Emsland is operated by Atmosfair and produces synthetic fuel for aircraft from water, CO2 and renewable electricity, a process referred to as power-to-liquid (PtL). Such electricity-based fuels are still in the development stage towards industrial production. Most Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is of biogenic origin because PtL fuels are available only in laboratory quantities.
Christina Foerster, Member of the Executive Board Deutsche Lufthansa AG said:
“Synthetic fuels from renewable energies are the kerosene of the future. They enable CO2-neutral aviation. With its partnership with Atmosfair, the Lufthansa Group takes the lead again and provides a boost to the production of PtL.”
The 25,000 litres of PtL fuel purchased annually by Lufthansa Group will be made available to its customers. To use the first quantities, Kuehne+Nagel and Lufthansa Cargo have committed to the joint purchase of the fuel from Werlte.
Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, commented: “Already now, Kuehne+Nagel customers can avoid carbon emissions of their shipments globally with our bio SAF solutions and I am delighted to see that time has come for synthetic SAF as the long‐term solution for aviation. By securing the first power-to-liquid fuel production together with Lufthansa Cargo, we are sending a strong message of commitment and collaboration, inviting our industry colleagues and customers to join us in creating the low-carbon economy of the future already today.”
