German transport ministry drives development of large-scale synthetic fuel plant

The German transport ministry (BMVI) has commissioned the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) to plan a pilot plant for the production of climate-neutral synthetic fuels on an industrial scale, the ministry announced in a press release. The plant is intended to accelerate the market introduction of electricity-based fuels that can enable sustainable mobility, especially in aviation and shipping. “By switching to electricity-based kerosene, we can save millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions in air transport,” transport minister Andreas Scheuer said. “To achieve this, we need several million tonnes of climate-neutral fuel by 2030,” the minister added. Electricity-based fuels are not yet produced in marketable quantities. “We know every component to produce synthetic fuels. For profitable production, however, we need to integrate the individual elements into an industrially viable process chain and bring it to an industrial scale,” Manfred Aigner, director of the DLR Institute of Combustion Technology said. The pilot plant is set to be designed to produce 10,000 tonnes of climate-neutral kerosene and petrol annually, said DLR.

In December of last year, the German aviation industry presented a joint master plan to bring air transport more in line with climate protection. The plan, presented by leading industry groups such as the German Aviation Association (BDL) and the Association of German Airlines (BDF), commits companies in the sector to the goal of climate neutrality and sets out detailed measures that can reduce emissions.