Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Again, it is one of those elements within the European Union legislative package where we are going to be compelled - I believe appropriately - to have percentages available. The technology in this area continues to evolve and my sense is that the first sustainable aviation fuel that could really be used in widespread deployment will be using waste oil, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil. Its blending into existing kerosene to reduce emissions and to have a more secure fuel supply will be the first step. Probably a more medium-term development will be the use of synthetic fuels involving hydrogen, methanol, or other derivatives derived in many instances potentially from electrolysis from surplus electricity supplies. This is the medium-term prospect we want to deliver. We would have a comparative competitive advantage there, as well as having a necessity as an island nation to have an aviation system that works.

In Rotterdam and elsewhere we are starting to see companies starting to offer contracts around the provision of sustainable aviation fuels. Our neighbours in the UK, and the Dutch and others, are particularly advanced in their ambition and the higher percentage they want to contribute. Going back to our discussion earlier about Shannon Airport, it is my view that there is potential for an airport like Shannon Airport to use some of its strategic advantages such as a direct connection to a deep-water jetty so any ship could come in to deliver fuel. It has under-apron storage facilities that would allow storage, unlike Dublin Airport where fuel must be trucked up from Dublin Port. Shannon Airport is also in a location that has industrial processing capability and major energy infrastructure assets. Shannon Airport was always one of the first places to be pioneering in aviation. It is the first point of contact with the US to Europe and so on. As I said to the chair and chief executive of Shannon Airport, I believe we should be looking at taking certain airports and picking them as exemplars or test cases for pioneer projects. I met the US Secretary of Transportation, Mr. Pete Buttigieg, last year. I said to Mr. Buttigieg that if they were looking for a location in Europe where they might want a first transatlantic zero-carbon flight system, we would be very interested in facilitating that in any way we can at Shannon Airport. That is one of the ways I would like to see it progressing. I have asked the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, as the Minister of State with responsibility for aviation to see what might be delivered in that regard.