Qair to explore options for SAF plant in France’s Occitanie

French independent renewable power producer Qair and aircraft maker Airbus SE (EPA:AIR) will collaborate on studying options for the development of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility in France.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently unveiled by Qair will pave the way for the construction of a production facility in the Occitanie region of southern France. The companies will now work to identify commercial opportunities and share techno-economic data to develop the SAF plant.

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The Occitanie Regional Energy and Climate Agency (AREC Occitanie) is interested in the project and talks are underway regarding its potential participation.

Qair and Airbus will initially seek to develop a regional SAF ecosystem in Occitanie and will then potentially expand to other locations in France. Their efforts will be focused on various aspects of the hydrogen and SAF supply chain, from production to airport delivery.

“We are pleased to begin these discussions with Airbus, with whom we share a common ambition to decarbonize the aerospace industry,” said Olivier Astruc, France director of Hydrogen at Qair.

At present, Paris-based Qair is building its first green hydrogen plant at the Port-La-Nouvelle in Occitaine under the Hyd'Occ partnership with Arec Occitanie.