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“Gazprom Neft has entered into an agreement with Aeroflot on cooperating in producing Russia’s first ever minimum-carbon-footprint sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” a statement said.
Using this type of fuel can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80 % compared to conventional aircraft fuels.
The key research facility for this will be Gazprom Neft’s Industrial Innovation Technology Centre in St Petersburg. The two companies intend to develop jointly efficient formulae for aviation fuel in accordance with the international requirements on limiting greenhouse gases and the environmental programme CORSIA —
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
“The new aviation fuel will be adapted for use on various types of aircraft, and will be certified under Russian and international aviation safety standards,” the companies said in their joint statement.
Members of the working group on developing a Russian SAF will include manufacturers of both Russian and foreign aircraft equipment.
“The environment is becoming one of the most important topics in the aviation industry, and it has only become more urgent as a result of the pandemic,” said Aeroflot CEO Mikhail Poluboyarinov. “Many international airlines have started testing SAF and plan in the next 10 to 20 years to significantly increase the share of SAF that they use.”
Poluboyarinov said that by upgrading its fleet and operating modern aircraft, Aeroflot had been able to reduce its carbon footprint by 30% over the past decade.
Gazprom NEFT’s CEO, Alexander Dyukov, said there could be “potentially significant demand” within the aviation sector for “green” aviation fuel.
“With its technical and scientific capacities, Gazprom Neft is able to play an active role in the development of such a product,” Dyukov said.
From 2027, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) intends to levy a payment for CO2 emissions on international flights. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is certified as environmentally safe – and is divided into two broad types – synthetic (carbon dioxide and water) and biofuel.