NHV Completes The First SAF Flight In The Offshore Wind Industry

NHV (Noordzee Helicopters Vlaanderen) - Eurocopter EC0145 T2 (OO-NSV) - AB II- AirTeamImages.com

NHV (Noordzee Helicopters Vlaanderen), an operator of civilian helicopters based in Ostend, Belgium, became the first helicopter operator to conduct a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight in the offshore wind industry in collaboration with partner TotalEnergies.

The Eurocopter EC145 T2 (OO-NSV), using sustainable aviation fuel, took place at NHV's headquarters in Ostend, an event organized by Elia. The NHV-operated helicopter left the Ostend base at 12:25 a.m. (local time). It flew with a delegation from Elia and Belgian Politicians to Elia's Modular Offshore Network (MOG 1), a platform in the North Sea that bundles cables from offshore wind farms and connects them to the mainland.

NHV (Noordzee Helicopters Vlaanderen) - Eurocopter EC0145 T2 (OO-NSV) tracked via RadarBox.com

According to information, on this particular flight of the Eurocopter EC145 T2, the use of sustainable aviation fuel produced by TotalEnergies reduced C02 emissions by 27%. The sustainable aviation fuel supplied by TotalEnergies is produced in Europe and made from waste and residues from the circular economy, such as used cooking oils. The renewable fraction reduces up to 90% of CO2 emissions over the entire life cycle compared to its fossil fuel equivalent. Once produced, this renewable fraction is blended with up to 30% of traditional fuel (JET A-1) to create sustainable aviation fuel, which has similar technical properties to JET A-1 and does not require any modifications to aircraft, logistics, infrastructure, or refueling operations.

Bram De Backer, Vice President of Offshore Wind at NHV Group, commented: "This is a huge milestone for NHV and the industry because it's the first time sustainable aviation fuel is used to support Offshore Wind. Investing in this fuel is the first step in reducing the overall carbon footprint and making helicopter transportation more environmentally friendly.

"The development of sustainable aviation fuel is one of the areas of TotalEnergies' strategy to achieve its ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050 together with society," said Joël Navaron, Aviation President at TotalEnergies. "We are delighted with this collaboration with NHV, which allows us to achieve this important refueling in Belgium and to make this approach part of a long-term collaboration with NHV." Says Joël.

OO-NSV Utilization Statistics provided by AirNav RadarBox 

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