A visit by Minister Mark Harbers (VVD) to Groningen Airport Eelde was used by the airport to present a first. One of the Ground Power Units, intended to supply stationary aircraft with electricity, will become completely nitrogen-free.
That must be achieved within six months at least, says airport director Meiltje de Groot. Until then, the airport will work with a so-called NoNox filter to reduce the emissions of a Ground Power Unit by 70 to 90 percent. “These filters have so far only been used in construction,” says De Groot. “They have been specially developed by VolkersWessels. This has never been tried before in aviation.”
Ground Power Units are quite polluting and largely still run on diesel. “And because aviation has to become a lot more sustainable, this could be a solution,” says De Groot. The coming six months will show whether VolkersWessels’ nitrogen filter also works outside the construction industry. “We’ll assume that.”
The Ground Power Unit, which will soon have to run entirely on hydrogen, was developed by the Groningen company Holthausen and the University of Groningen. According to airport director De Groot, other airports, including Schiphol, are keeping a close eye on sustainable developments in Eelde. “At Schiphol, they are happy with the steps we are taking here,” she says. “Because we are a small-scale airport, we have more room to experiment.”
Eelder airport wants to be a forerunner in the field of sustainable aviation. “Every little bit helps,” says De Groot. She is pleased that Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management will see all the developments today. “He was supposed to come last year, but then covid threw a spanner in the works. It’s good that he’s here now, so he can see what’s happening here in terms of innovation.”
VVD minister Harbers – who came to the meeting at the invitation of the provincial branch of the party – showed a positive attitude afterwards. “The airport can play a leading role when it comes to sustainable aviation in the Netherlands and Europe.”