Planes could be powered by water-based, not fossil, fuels
Oil importer Marsden Point could one day create millions of litres of sustainable aviation fuel out of water and gas. The Whangarei-based factory which used to release more than a million tonnes of pollution from producing petrol and diesel wants to become one of the worlds first manufacturers of a synthetic jet fuel. The proposed facility would use renewable electricity to split water into oxygen and hydrogen. The latter gas would be combined with carbon dioxide to create a fuel similar to fossil jet fuel. With funding from the Government, Marsden Point owner Channel Infrastructure and green hydrogen pioneer Fortescue Future Industries will investigate the feasibility of an eSAF factory. The study will evaluate the engineering requirements and economic viability of the project, the two companies said in a joint statement. If it was determined to be feasible, the factory could produce up to 60 million litres of synthetic aviation fuel a little more than 3% of the countrys pre-pandemic jet fuel use. It would be one of the first at-scale projects in the world to produce this type of fuel, the group said. For the fuel to have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels, the facility would need to use renewable electricity plus an organic source of carbon dioxide, according to Portuguese researchers . For example, pulp and paper mills produce lots of carbon dioxide but since this was originally sucked in from the atmosphere by the trees, it doesnt increase the concentration of greenhouse gases around the planet. Marsden Point already supplies fossil aviation fuel to Auckland Airport, via a 170km pipeline. The synthetic jet fuel could be blended with fossil fuel on site, before delivery. Air New Zealand is interested in the plan, signing a memorandum of understanding with the group. Channel Infrastructure chief executive Rob Buchanan said the concept was an opportunity to contribute to New Zealands wider decarbonisation efforts and energy transition, and bring the potential for new jobs for Northlanders. Mark Hutchinson the chief executive of Fortescue Future Industries believes synthetic jet fuel will become a valuable commodity. For New Zealand, domestic eSAF production would provide a greater degree of fuel security and support development of the local green hydrogen industry. The factory would draw 300MW of electricity the equivalent of a large power station. But the facility could be flexible, ramping down hydrogen production when wider demand for power was high. That would make the national grid even more reliable, the partnership said in a statement. Channel and Fortescue are speaking with generators, including Mercury Energy, that could supply the electricity required. The pair has already completed a scoping study on the proposal. Our weekly email newsletter, by the Forever Project's Olivia Wannan, rounds up the latest climate events. Sign up here .