Climate Impulse, a Moroccan initiative towards sustainability

Morocco has presented its new step on the road to energy sustainability. Morocco's undisputed leadership in this sector is only being reinforced with an initiative that aims to launch a zero-emissions aircraft powered entirely by hydrogen. This will be done through the "Climate Impulse" project, whose two main partners will be the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and the OCP Group.

A historic breakthrough in the aeronautics sector

The reduction of CO2 emissions is the fundamental objective, and Morocco has been working for years on the search for sustainable alternatives that can facilitate this change. One of the pillars on which this transformation is based is hydrogen, the fuel that Impulso Climático intends to use to implement "green and efficient" air travel.
 

The signing ceremony of the agreement to lead the project was attended by Bertrand Piccard, Chairman of Climate Impulse, and Ilham Khadri, CEO of Syensqo. Climate Impulse, launched two years ago, was strengthened by the entry of Syensqo as a lead partner, supported by the company 49usd. This company specialises in the development of new technologies based on sustainability and will work to manufacture "the first plane that will attempt to fly around the world powered by green hydrogen".

Much more than a hydrogen-powered plane

While it is true that this is the fundamental objective of the project, to achieve it, a number of necessary initiatives are to be launched that will also serve other sectors. One of these is the management of hydrogen at extreme temperatures, as flights require the hydrogen to be kept at -253 degrees Celsius for at least nine days, which is the expected duration of such a flight.

"A unique opportunity for our researchers and students to work on pioneering solutions to climate challenges". That is the vision of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University President Hicham El Habti, who told Morocco World News that they are determined to "play a key role in promoting sustainability".

Bertrand Piccard explained that Climate Impulse is a project that goes far beyond achieving hydrogen-powered flights. With this collaboration, they want to "highlight Morocco's potential as an emerging leader in the field of green hydrogen and demonstrate its important role in the development of sustainable and innovative solutions on an international scale".

In fact, the project's president assures that by achieving a plane that can fly around the world in nine days on hydrogen, the initiative will not stop there. It is a much more ambitious project that aims to "bring together innovation leaders and key technology players to engage the economic, industrial and educational sectors in climate action".

Continuing to lead the way towards sustainability

Morocco wants Climate Impulse to become one of the key elements of its decarbonisation process. Hanane Mourchid, Director of Sustainability and Innovation of the OCP Group, also present at the signing of the agreement, said that it is "a pioneering effort in the crucial development of technologies to advance decarbonisation solutions".

All parties involved hope to further increase Morocco's leadership in the renewable energy sector. Described by Mourchid as "a magnificent and hopeful project", it is yet another example of "the opportunities to move towards a decarbonised economy based on green hydrogen". In this way, Morocco is advancing by leaps and bounds towards a sustainable future, with more and more projects that are no longer futures but realities.