The world's first industrial plant, the CO₂-neutral electricity-based kerosene was officially opened yesterday in Werlte / Emsland.

It is operated by the climate protection organization atmosfair and produced from water, CO₂ and renewable electricity synthetic fuel for aircraft (power-to-liquid = PtL). The Lufthansa Group is a partner and is also one of the company's first customers to purchase this sustainable, electricity-based kerosene.

“Lufthansa’s airlines have been researching and using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for many years. We are currently the largest customer in Europe. Synthetic fuels from renewable energies are the kerosene of the future. They enable CO₂-neutral air transport. With the partnership with atmosfair, the Lufthansa Group is once again leading the way and giving the production of PtL an important tailwind ”, says Christina Foerster, member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

The Lufthansa Group will purchase at least 25.000 liters of PtL fuel annually over the next five years and make it available to customers. Kuehne + Nagel and Lufthansa Cargo have agreed an exclusive partnership to use the first quantities. The logistics service providers have committed to buying the fuel from Werlte together.

So far, the airlines in the Lufthansa Group have been using sustainable fuels of biogenic origin. This is kerosene, which is made from agricultural waste or old cooking oils. Because PtL fuels have not yet been produced industrially, but are only available in laboratory quantities.