Take Kair, Laureate of the Innovation Fund for Decarbonizing Aviation

A new milestone has been reached for the Take Kair project, which is among the winners of the Innovation Fund. The European Union's Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) has pre-selected this e-kerosene production project for financial aid. The future plant, located on the Nantes Saint-Nazaire port area in Loire-Atlantique, will produce 37,000 tons of e-kerosene, a synthetic fuel produced from low-carbon and renewable hydrogen. The project, led by Hynamics, the hydrogen subsidiary of the EDF group, and Meridiam, a mission-driven company investing in and managing long-term sustainable public infrastructure, will contribute to the decarbonization of the aviation sector and will be integrated into a favorable regional ecosystem. 

After a preliminary consultation guaranteed by the National Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) completed last March, and obtaining ADEME aid for its engineering studies within the framework of the CARB'AERO scheme of the France 2030 plan in April, the Take Kair project has now been pre-selected to benefit from European Union support. This budget will secure the project's realization by co-financing the industrial investment. 

The Innovation Fund, managed by the European Commission's CINEA agency, aims to help companies invest in clean energy, particularly electrolytic hydrogen, which is used in the manufacture of alternative fuels in Europe. 

E-kerosene, produced from renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, is indeed one of the solutions to limit CO2 emissions and contribute to the fight against global warming. Take Kair will thus reduce CO2 emissions by a factor of 5 compared to the use of fossil-based kerosene. 

The incorporation obligations mentioned in European regulations (ReFuel EU Regulation) imposed on aviation fuel distributors offer significant prospects for the consumption of e-kerosene and therefore low-carbon and renewable hydrogen until 2050. The deployment and incorporation of synthetic fuels into kerosene are the main levers for decarbonizing air transport, in addition to usage sobriety and improved energy efficiency of aircraft. 

While the project entered the continuous consultation phase this summer, still under the authority of the CNDP, this support from the European Union is a very positive signal given to the decarbonization efforts of the region's industries. Take Kair indirectly allows for the electrification of aviation without requiring modifications to aircraft engines and contributes to the energy transition of industries on the Atlantic coast.