The Solent Group claims that its emissions are 70% less than conventional fuels, and that the existing pipeline networks are suitable for supplying sustainable fuel from the plant to major airports.
Byline George Ibrahim Mustafa Badr Aldin
Emirates Airline has become the first international carrier to join the Solent Group, a British initiative focused on low-carbon investments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from industry, transport and homes on England’s south coast.
The Solent Group is a multi-sectoral collaboration of international organizations, including manufacturers, engineering companies, regional companies and industries, logistics and infrastructure operators and academic institutions.
Emirates joined more than 100 members of the group, along with founding members, global energy provider ExxonMobil and the University of Southampton.
The Solent Group claims that it has the ability to establish a sustainable aviation fuel plant SAF with a production capacity of about 200,000 tons per year. If approved, the plant will be operational from 2032. The jet fuel it produces may block the emission of 563,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Solent claims that its emissions are 70% less than conventional fuels, and that the existing pipeline networks are suitable for supplying sustainable fuel from the plant to major airports.
Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark says its ambition to provide sustainable fuel produced in the UK through the Solent Group is an important addition to the airline’s many initiatives over the past year, and follows Emirates’ test flights with A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft using 100% sustainable fuel in 2023.
Emirates also expanded its partnership with oil refining company Neste, with plans to provide sustainable fuel to Amsterdam and Singapore in 2024 and 2025. It carried sustainable fuel at its Dubai hub for commercial flights for the first time in October 2023.
Commenting on the Solent Group initiative, Sir Clark says that they are proud to join like-minded organisations that support clean energy innovation and production.
“This is another step forward in our journey towards long-term sustainable fuel adoption within our network,” says Sir Clark.
University of Southampton Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Decarbonization Group Dr Lindsay Mary Armstrong claims that the initiative will be a key contributor to the removal of carbon dioxide emissions from energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
“The formation of the Decarbonization Group, which includes the public, private and higher education sectors, is a huge step forward for the region, and will provide sustainable fuels for the domestic transport, aviation and shipping sectors, and provide a low-carbon energy source for heating. Homes, businesses, public buildings, and new job opportunities are being opened, and this can only be achieved by working together as a community covering all sectors, and ultimately working with the same ambition to achieve a low-carbon economic future,” says Dr Armstrong.
Notes from the Editor: Emirate Airlines began offering flight services to the UK 1987 and now operates 131 weekly flights to seven destinations across the United Kingdom.
