Neste Oil to supply biofuel for EU funded research on renewable aviation fuels

Finland-based renewable diesel manufacturer Neste Oil has will supply aviation fuel produced from sustainable sources for an EU-funded research aimed at commercializing renewable fuels in aviation.

The company joined forces with the European Union (EU)-backed Initiative Towards Sustainable Kerosene for Aviation (ITAKA) project and will bring its renewable fuels expertise to the partnership.

A consortium of companies comprising the likes of Airbus, BIOTEHGEN, Camelina Company Espanã, CLH, EADS IW, Embraer, EPFL, MMU, SENASA, RE-CORD, and SkyNRG are part of the said initiative and is funded by a €10m grant from EU.

The ITAKA project was conceptualized under the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (2007-2013) to produce 2 million tons of aviation bio-fuel per annum by 2020.

Neste Oil will offer 4,000 tons of its NExBTL renewable aviation fuel, generated from Spanish camelina oil and used cooking oil, for the 36-month project.

The fuel will be blended 50:50 with conventional aviation fossil fuel that some of the European airlines will employ for use on their commercial flights.

Primary focus of the initiative remains on research with the consortium also expected to collect test data on the use of renewable aviation fuel in areas such as logistics and fueling.

Neste Oil had recently tested the commercial viability of NExBTL renewable aviation fuel over a six-month trial with Lufthansa airlines wherein the flights demonstrated a 1,500 tons reduction of carbon emissions and a 1% reduction in fuel consumption.