Refueling tankers on an Air Force Base in Brasil. (Credit: Flickr @ Victor Camilo http://www.flickr.com/photos/victorcamilo/)Airbus and RT-Biotekhprom, a subsidiary of the Rostec Group, a Russian state corporation established to promote development, production and export of hi-tech industrial products for civil and defense sectors, signed a cooperation agreement to launch a large-scale analysis of Russian feedstock, and to assess how to speed up the development and commercialization of sustainable biofuels for aviation.
This agreement was signed at the International Aviation and Space Show MAKS-2013 held near Moscow, Russia.
The partnership is aimed at assessing adequate feedstocks that will comply with ecological, economic and social sustainability criteria. The sustainability analysis will be managed by Airbus in collaboration with RT-Biotekhprom.
The goal of the study is to select several local sources of raw materials that are suitable for the production of biofuels for aviation and to complete a full sustainability analysis by the end of 2014. Airbus will play a key role in supporting RT-Biotekhprom in ensuring that the fuel produced meets international aviation standards, alongside completing relevant flight test campaigns.
“We are delighted to be working with our Russian partners RT-Biotekhprom”—said Christopher Buckley, Executive Vice-President Sales. “Sustainable fuels are a crucial part of the roadmap to meet the aviation industry’s ambitious CO2 targets. We believe that the findings of this important study, which will be done for the first time in Russia, will contribute to a sustainable aviation sector in Russia. Additionally, we will be able to share our expertise in this area for the benefit of Russian industry.”
“We are delighted to be working with Airbus on this project. The decision for this partnership was based on the fact that we had necessary technologies and findings with regards to biomass recycling,”—said the project leader and adviser to the CEO of RT-Biothekhprom Konstantin Diespersov.
This partnership is part of an initiative to develop aviation biofuel production capabilities in Russia, using only sustainable resources. It is part of the Airbus’ goal to have in place such a ‘value chain’ in every continent. So far Airbus has value chains in Latin America, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and China.
