Masdar and ZeroAvia partner on hydrogen production for aircrafts: UAE renewables giant Masdar inked an agreement with California-based hydrogen-electric aircraft developer ZeroAvia to explore hydrogen production and supply projects for aircrafts, according to a statement released last week. Under the agreement, ZeroAvia will refuel its zero-emission aircrafts at commercial airports by 2030, with plans for a first hydrogen-fueled commercial flight by 2025. The firms will initially target North America and Europe for clean flight operations, with plans to later expand operations in the UAE, the statement notes.

ZeroAvia is on its way: The company completed the flight testing campaign for its initial prototype ZA600 — a 500-750 KW hydrogen-electric plane which has a 300 nautical mile (555 kilometers) flight range — last January. Over the past seven months, ZeroAvia has sequentially tested different areas of performance, seeing their aircraft cruising at a 5k foot altitude and completing an endurance test at 23 minutes. The company — which has secured 2k orders for its engines with potential revenues of up to USD 10 bn— is targeting an up to 700-mile range in 40-80 seat aircrafts by 2027. ZeroAvia’s planes consume up to one ton of hydrogen on short flights, and “even a small commercial airport can drive more than a hundred tons of demand daily,” the statement notes.

Part of a wider Emirati green hydrogen strategy: The UAE government has set a target to produce 1.4 mn tons of hydrogen annually by 2031 before increasing its production capacity tenfold to between 14 and 22 mn tons by 2050. State-owned Masdar is eyeing an annual 1 mn ton green hydrogen production volume by the end of the decade.

Masdar is also making moves on SAF: Masdar recently signed an agreement with French aerospace company Airbus to jointly develop sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), green hydrogen, and direct air capture technologies. The agreement also sees the companies launching a book and claims framework that would enable aircraft operators to source their SAF supplies without being geographically connected to a stockpile site. Masdar — along with Adnoc, Emirates Airways, and Tadweer — is also looking to establish MENA’s first commercial-scale SAF production facility in Abu Dhabi. The companies are conducting the feasibility study for the project with BP.

IN OTHER MASDAR NEWS- Masdar has rolled out its sustainability podcast — FutureEnergy Talks — with Reuters’ creative studio Reuters Plus, the company said on Thursday. The production will explore “everything from green hydrogen to AI with the industry leaders and sustainability experts driving the clean energy transition.”

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