Emmanuel Macron lifts the veil on his plane decarbonisation plan. During a visit this Friday morning to the Safran Aircraft Engines factory in Villaroche, in Seine-et-Marne, the President of the Republic announced that the State will support the aeronautical sector with 300 million euros per year from 2024.
Development of new engines, clean fuels
This endowment will be used to finance research and innovation to decarbonise the aviation sector, through the development of clean fuels, but also hydrogen and new engines. At least a similar amount will also be contributed by the main players in the sector.
Emmanuel Macron also announced the establishment of a biofuel plant in Lacq, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques: 75,000 tons per year will be produced in this new plant, which should see the light of day in 2027. The “BioTJET” project is run by Elyse Energy Company and should create 700 direct jobs.
4 to 8 times more expensive
Will these sums be up to the challenge? Sustainable fuels made from agricultural or synthetic by-products are now four to eight times more expensive than conventional fuels. Currently, most modern aircraft can run on half biofuels and the goal is to reach 75% by 2050. The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, for example, wants to replace its A320 aircraft within the next ten years with an aircraft that fly only with biofuels.
The necessary amounts of biofuels will therefore be astronomical, especially since France today depends 100% on foreign countries for its kerosene supply. To boost the production and use of biofuels, the government could take inspiration from the United States and its fiscal incentives: thanks to them, production has doubled in one year. If France wants to achieve its climate goals, there is an urgent need to green the air sector, responsible for 2 to 3% of global emissions, despite the fact that the world fleet should double in twenty years.
Source: BFM TV
