There is a new biofuels initiative in the aviation sector. A Dutch initiative, announced last Tuesday, aimed at the deployment of sustainable biofuel that includes KLM, SkyNRG, Schiphol Airport, the Port of Rotterdam, the State Secretary of Infrastructure and the Environment, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Neste Oil.
The role of the Finnish Neste Oil in the initiative is to explore the production opportunities for aviation biofuel and scaling up production. Its renewable fuel refinery in Rotterdam would potentially be the first site for producing renewable aviation fuel in the Netherlands.
“Neste Oil is a global pioneer in aviation biofuels and has already carried out trials on the use of NExBTL renewable aviation fuel in commercial service,” says Kaisa Hietala, Neste Oil’s Vice President, Renewable Fuels. “We expect this new initiative to stimulate market demand for sustainable aviation biofuel and promote a shift from individual projects to the continuous production and supply of sustainable aviation biofuel.
The Netherlands is uniquely positioned to enable this break-through because of the commitment of the public and private sector in the aviation and biofuel industry.”
Neste Oil’s renewable aviation fuel is based on its NExBTL technology, which can make very flexible use of a wide range of vegetable oil and waste-based raw materials. Neste Oil ensures the sustainability of all the renewable raw materials it uses and its supply chain complies with a number of sustainability certification schemes.
“NExBTL renewable aviation fuel – says the Finnish company headquartered in Espoo – meets the very stringent quality standards demanded of aircraft fuel and can significantly reduce an aircraft’s greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel.
Since March KLM operates a flight between Amsterdam Schiphol and New York’s JFK International Airport powered in part by a second-generation biofuel made from processed frying fat. SkyNRG, a company that KLM founded in 2009 with the North Sea Group and Spring Associates, is supplying the biofuel. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is providing ground fueling services and has dedicated two 10,000-gallon refueler vehicles to the operation.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 