Europe's green jet fuels see upside in Iran war

BRUSSELS: At a plant near Frankfurt, Germany, hydrogen and CO2 sourced from a nearby chlorine factory and a biogas facility are piped into a reactor and -- after a few more steps -- converted into jet fuel.

Interest in such synthetic propellants is growing as the Iran war pushes Europe to reassess its dependencies, raising hopes of a turnaround for the struggling sector, according to industry experts.

The conflict "made the business case for e-SAF much stronger," Mariano Berkenwald, head of strategy at Ineratec, the firm operating the Frankfurt facility, told AFP.

Before the war squeezed Europe's jet fuel supplies, electro-Sustainable Aviation Fuel (e-SAF), was largely touted for its climate friendly credentials.

Doing away with oil can reduce planet-warming emissions from aviation by 90%, proponents say, with aviation itself responsible for up to 4% of all greenhouse gases released in the European Union.

Brussels has made it a key component of a push to green up transport, mandating that fuel suppliers blend at least 1.2% of the stuff into the kerosene available at EU airports by 2030 and 35% by 2050.

But the sector has struggled to take off, bogged down by high costs and low investments.

'Zero' to hero? 

Founded 10 years ago, Ineratec launched production last year -- and its small German facility is currently the only one in Europe making the propellant.

About 40 more projects under development are stuck in a rut, unable to secure the funding needed to start production plants, said Camille Mutrelle of advocacy group Transport & Environment.

Europe needs roughly nine more factories to meet the 2030 target, but "we still have zero," she said.

Ineratec's plant churns out some 2,500 tons of fuel a year, enough to power only about 50 transatlantic flights.

With the clock ticking, Brussels, which recently scaled down the ambition of other climate goals, notably for cars, has been under pressure to scrap the target, or at least the hefty fines suppliers would face for failing to meet it.

The industry was braced for a review of the mandate due next year.

It now believes the Iran war and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for global gas and oil, might have changed the momentum.

Since its key ingredients can be sourced entirely in Europe, e-SAF has drawn attention from military forces, which worry about the ready availability of fuel to power fighter jets, helicopters and other vehicles -- and could pay a premium for it, according to Matteo Mirolo, an aviation consultant specializing in sustainable fuels.

Defense interest 

E-SAF costs about 10 times as much as kerosene, and even supporters concede it is unlikely to ever match the price of its fossil-fuel-based rival.

Germany's armed forces recently tested Ineratec's fuel. 

And other governments have expressed interest in building capacity, said Mutrelle.

"The current crisis is a wake-up call regarding Europe's energy independence," said Ourania Georgoutsakou, managing director of Airlines for Europe, a civil aviation lobby group.

Making sustainable fuels cheaper and more readily available should be "an urgent strategic priority", she added.

Supporters hope that securing government backing for the technology could finally persuade investors to bet on it.

Doubts over the sector and low prospective returns meant that energy majors have so far largely stayed away, preferring to invest in biofuels, said Mutrelle.

Derived from waste, these propellants are also part of the EU's climate plans.

But production often relies on the import of waste oil and fat from China, which makes them less palatable from a security of supply perspective.

Fuel manufacturing group FuelsEurope did not reply to a request for comment.

The European Commission said it was considering establishing an EU financing mechanism for e-SAF to support its development.

"We need home-grown energy, including fuels and aviation fuels," a commission spokesperson said.

Berkenwald of Ineratec said the company has been getting more calls of late, but they have yet to translate them into contracts.

"We are hopeful that that's where this is heading," he said.