Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC)

Khalifa University, In Collaboration With Aviation Industry Leaders, Launches Webinar Series on Sustainable Aviation Fuels

August 4, 2020

First Seminar on 5 August Titled ‘The Challenge for Sustainable Aviation Fuels Beyond COVID-19’ to Cover Key Subjects  
Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with key aviation industry players Etihad Airways, the General Civil Aviation Authority, The Boeing Company, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), today announced the launch of a webinar series to emphasize the need for establishing the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Initiative (SAFI) in the UAE. 
The SAFI–UAE Webinar Series will include several virtual panel sessions that will take place over a period of 8 – 10 weeks. The series will be supported by nearly 50 local and international government, corporate and academic stakeholders. Out of the eight seminars, the first will be held on 5 August and will be co-hosted by the International Association for Energy Economics. 
The first seminar titled ‘The Challenge for Sustainable Aviation Fuels Beyond COVID-19’ will address the extreme challenges being faced by the aviation industry as a whole due to the current pandemic, and talk specifically about how can Sustainable Aviation Fuels can move forward.. The 60-minute event will be a panel session to be moderated by Dr. Steve Griffiths, Senior Vice-President, Research and Development, and Professor of Practice, Khalifa University. 
Dr. Steve Griffiths said: “We are delighted to launch this SAFI – UAE Webinar Series at the most challenging time not only for the aviation industry but also for related sectors and policy-makers across the globe. The first seminar will set the tone for the series and will offer a general overview of the need for SAF and the goals that the aviation industry has set for itself. We believe this initiative will throw a spotlight on the need for setting up the Sustainable Aviation Fuels Initiative (SAFI) in the UAE.” 
The panelists for the first seminar will include Robert Boyd, Assistant Director–Aviation Environment, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Switzerland, Jim Hileman, Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Environment, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), US, and Dr. Alejandro Rios-Galvan, Director, SBRC, Khalifa University. 
Panelists will share their insights and perspectives on the short and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 demand shock for the aviation industry, the efforts and strategies of the aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint, the development and use of sustainable aviation fuels to date, and the onset of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). 
They will also focus on the outlook towards the long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% in 2050 using 2005 as the baseline year, and the future for SAF and the pathways most likely to address the challenge. 
The second seminar titled ‘Pathways to produce SAF’ will be held on 11 August and will have a panel session to be moderated by Dr. Alejandro Rios-Galvan. Panelists will include Mark Rumizen, Senior Technical Specialist, Aviation Fuels, FAA, US, Bruno Miller, Managing Director – Fuels, Fulcrum Bioenergy, US, and Jennifer Holmgren, Chief Executive Officer, Lanzatech, US. 
Panelists in this session will share their insights on an understanding of the fuel approval process for SAF, the annexes that have been approved up to date and the ones that are on the pipeline, assess some of the most relevant projects that are being developed worldwide, the current and future technologies that can be used for producing SAF, and the challenges for developing refining infrastructure for SAF and getting it to market.
Clarence Michael
News Writer
4 August 2020