Muscat: The Forum on the use of Sustainable, Low-Carbon Aviation Fuels and Clean Energy in the Civil Aviation Sector sought to enhance the protection of the international civil aviation environment by raising awareness about the measures that can be taken to reduce international civil aviation emissions, including the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs as a top priority.
The Forum reviewed international experiences in the field of producing sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuel, in addition to future plans, opportunities, challenges, and local experiences in using used materials as biofuel.
Speaking to the Observer, Mubarak al Ghailani, DG of Regulations at CAA, said," The State Action Plan of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) includes tools in how to achieve the long-term aspirational goal by 2050. The State Action Plan has three pillars, including sustainable aviation fuel, which will meet 55 percent of the solutions to Net-Zero emissions by 2050.
With regard to the Sultanate and its small aviation market, He said "We encourage SAF producers to export the fuel not used by the stakeholders in Oman. With regard to aircraft overflying our airspace, we will encourage airlines to emit CO2 using the modern efficient fleet apart from offering shorter routes for travel."
The immediate goal of the SAP will be the procurement of an aircraft designed to have less CO2 emissions.
SAF can be produced from non-petroleum-based renewable feedstocks including, but not limited to, the food and yard waste portion of municipal solid waste, woody biomass, fats/greases/oils, and other feedstocks.
SAF production is in its early stages, with two known commercial producers but more of them are expected to begin production in coming years, and many airlines have signed agreements with existing and future SAF producers to utilize hundreds of millions of gallons of these fuels.
The forum focussed on supporting the implementation of policies, financing, scientific research, and capacity building that contribute to enhancing the dissemination and development of sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuel locally.
It may be noted that CAA signed a joint memorandum of cooperation with the OQ Group and Sky Energy Company to study the development of a facility to manufacture sustainable aviation fuel in the Sultanate of Oman. The signatory parties will identify the basic capabilities necessary to establish a unit in this field and build capabilities by benefiting from global expertise in this field.
The memorandum of cooperation also stipulates examining the technologies used in manufacturing sustainable green aviation fuel.
The agreement was signed by Eng Naif bin Ali al Abri, President of the Civil Aviation Authority, Ghaleb bin Saeed al Mamari, Vice President of Alternative Energy Sector at OQ Group, and Oscar Meijerink, General Manager of Future Fuels at Sky Energy.
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