For: Innovation Quarter
[November 2020 – March 2021]
Innovation Quarter (IQ) is the regional economic development agency for the province of Zuid-Holland with the mission to strengthen the regional economic structure by stimulating the innovation potential of this unique delta region. IQ does this in close collaboration with all major corporations and many SME’s, educational and research institutes as well as government organisations.
Among many other activities, IQ is developing a regional strategy together with key stakeholders, with regards to the production and uptake of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The region, and in particular the Harbour Industrial Cluster of Rotterdam is currently characterized by a large-scale petrochemical cluster in which kerosine production and distribution plays an important role. From Rotterdam both Amsterdam Schiphol Airport as well as Rotterdam-The Hague Airport are fueled with kerosene.
studio Gear Up supported IQ in understanding the latest market trends, with a particular focus on promising technologies and the involved market players in the field of sustainable aviation fuels. In particular IQ wanted to understand which SAF pathways are under development – including their Technology Readiness (TRL) level to date, details on their value chains, which market players are collaborating on the various pathways, which feedstocks are involved and what kind of intermediate and by-products come available. Of special interest to IQ is how these activities can provide synergetic opportunities to actors in the province of Zuid Holland region. It goes without saying that it is relevant to keep track of the ongoing developments in the regulatory framework in the Netherlands, the EU, but also in nearby countries, such as Germany.
Studio Gear Up provided a global overview of current SAF projects, the involved stakeholders and projects, including a strategic analysis report with recommendations to IQ for next steps in linking SAF opportunities to the development of SAF value chains in the region.
More information about IQ is found here.
More information about Sustainable aviation fuels in the Netherlands:
In 2020 the Netherlands minister for Infrastructure and Management pled for a europea-wide obligation to blend sustainable aviation fuels. read more here.