Rolls-Royce Says It Remains Committed to Sustainable Aviation Fuels

Aviation Fuel (Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)), Biofuels Engine Design, Business News/Analysis, Feedstocks, Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues, Funding/Financing/Investing, Infrastructure, Not Agriculture, Opinions, Performance, Policy, R & D Focus, Sustainability, UK (United Kingdom)

March 9, 2023

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(Proactive Investors) Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) has said it won’t alter its net zero plans, following a report which claimed sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are not a viable solution to decarbonise air travel.

“SAF remains a key part of our sustainability strategy,” a company spokesperson told Proactive, “the scalability and availability of SAF is a well-known challenge and one that the whole aviation industry is focused on solving.”

SAF, made using by-products like cooking oil and agricultural waste, emits 70% less than conventional fuel, according to the government, and has been earmarked to largely help the sector achieve its 2050 ‘jet zero’ target.

Published on Tuesday, a report from Royal Society scientists concluded that roughly half of the UK’s agricultural land will be needed to produce enough SAF for this though.

“We need to be very clear about the strengths, limitations, and challenges […] if we are to scale up the required new technologies” to cut emissions, scientist Graham Hutchings said in the Royal Society report.

Rolls-Royce said it was still committed to rolling out engines capable of running solely on SAFs regardless, adding its Trent 1000 engine, targeted at the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will be a proven quantity by late 2023.

The engines are already certified to run on a 50% SAF-blend and are set to power the first net-zero transatlantic flight by Virgin Atlantic later this year.

“In the road map to net zero flight […] there is no silver bullet,” the engine-maker added, with SAF and hydrogen both featuring in its decarbonisation strategy, alongside the development of “novel technologies” like electric-powered flight.

Rolls-Royce ran a fully hydrogen-powered engine for the first time last year, in partnership with easyJet, adding the fuel could provide a “longer-term solution” for aviation.

“SAF combined with more efficient engines remains the only near to mid-term solution for reducing the environmental impact of widebody, long-haul flights” meanwhile, with “80% of the industry’s net zero target” set to be achieved this way, according to Rolls Royce.

“In step with the UK aviation industry, we’re seeking government support to promote domestic production of SAF to help decarbonise aviation and improve GDP, jobs and export outcomes,” it said. READ MORE

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