Hydrogen ‘less likely’ than sustainable fuel to have long-haul role: Rolls-Royce chief

Rolls-Royce senses that the aerospace industry is sceptical about hydrogen’s potential as a fuel for long-haul operations. The engine manufacturer’s CE, Warren East, expressed reservations during a half-year briefing on 5 August. “This isn’t a Rolls-Royce thing,” he says. “This is an industry thing. For long-distance international travel the industry doesn’t see a technology solution that’s appropriate – other than synthetic aviation fuel.” Rolls-Royce, whose engine activities depend heavily on the long-haul sector, has embarked on a programme to ensure that its civil aircraft powerplants are compatible with 100% blends of sustainable aviation fuel. “Hydrogen will play its part in lots of different sectors [but is] probably less likely to play a part in long-distance international travel,” says East. He says full electrification, hybrid powerplants, and hydrogen “all…have their role to play” in the short-haul sector. But in the long-distance widebody space, it’s going to be sustainable aviation fuel." He believes that the cost of such fuel “at scale” will be around twice the fossil fuel, but stresses: “That’s a little bit of an industry guess – not a Rolls-Royce guess.” East states that the manufacturer could potentially benefit from the scaling-up of sustainable fuel production, because it requires a similar scaling-up of electrical production for which Rolls-Royce can offer small modular nuclear reactors.<br/>