Aerospace firm Boeing and project developer Norsk e-Fuel have announced that they will expand their strategic partnership, launched last year, with the start of a new joint programme to test how green hydrogen-based aviation fuels perform in real-world operations.

The initiative will include a focus on defence, where Boeing and Norsk e-Fuel will have to meet strict standards for security of supply.

However, the two firms note that data from the deployment of e-fuels in military applications can be used to inform the adoption of these fuels in commercial aviation.

“This initiative goes beyond technology development,” said Lars Bjørn Larsen, chief commercial officer at Norsk e-Fuel.

“Together with Boeing we are contributing to a broader European objective: strengthening energy security, resilience and independence. Expanding SAF [sustainable aviation fuel] production in the Nordic region can help reduce Europe’s reliance on imported fossil fuels while building a robust and sustainable e-Fuel value chain for the future of aviation based on local feedstock and distributed production.”

Boeing had last year signed a partnership agreement with Norsk e-Fuel that would see it invest an undisclosed amount in the developer and secure the right to offtake volumes from its projects.

The most advanced of Norsk e-Fuels’ announced projects is Project Mosjøen in northern Norway, which would produce up to 50 million tonnes of e-SAF annually by combining green hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide from biogenic sources.

Source:HydrogenInsight