University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and OCP Group have officially signed a partnership agreement today to become the main partners of the “Climate Impulse” project, which is expected to result in a non-stop, zero-emission world tour aboard a green hydrogen aircraft by 2028
The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Bertrand Piccard, President of Climate Impulse, and Dr. Ilham Kadri, CEO of Syensqo - the project's first main partner.
With the support of leading names in the industry, development of the airplane began in 2022, and included research, feasibility and design studies. Since the beginning of 2024 and the arrival of Syensqo as the first main partner, construction of the aircraft has started, led by 49SUD, which is headed by Raphaël Dinelli, engineer and co-pilot of Climate Impulse alongside Dr. Piccard.
In addition to being a major technological breakthrough that will contribute to the decarbonization of the aviation sector, Climate Impulse is a flagship project in the clean technology sector, the vast potential of which is showcased through the Solar Impulse Foundation. Thousands of solutions exist to make our world more efficient and tick both the boxes of economic profitability and environmental protection. This adventure sends a strong and powerful message demonstrating that it is possible to modernize and decarbonize our world today.
UM6P and OCP Group’s contribution to this project, alongside Syensqo, underscores their commitment to this vision and reflects their determination to play an active role in advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action and supporting global initiatives for a sustainable future.
UM6P and OCP Group, together with Syensqo, will be key players in addressing the technical challenges associated with Climate Impulse, including managing the extreme temperatures required to maintain liquid hydrogen at -253°C throughout the estimated nine-day flight. They will also be involved in designing and manufacturing suitable thermal tanks. In addition to these crucial aspects, they will explore and develop other innovative solutions to ensure the success of this project.
This collaboration aims to highlight Morocco's potential as an emerging leader in the green hydrogen field and to demonstrate its major role in developing sustainable and innovative solutions on an international scale.
"Beyond the first non-stop, zero-emission world tour with a hydrogen aircraft, the goal of Climate Impulse is to bring together innovation leaders and key technology players to engage the economic, industrial and educational sectors in climate action. The arrival of OCP Group and UM6P will enable significant advances for this project by involving as many students as possible, putting innovation at the service of sustainability.”
“The Climate Impulse project is a pioneering effort in the context of the need for technological development to contribute to decarbonization solutions. We are proud to contribute to this project, which concretely demonstrates the opportunities to move towards a decarbonized economy based on green hydrogen.”
“We are proud to welcome OCP Group and UM6P as exceptional partners in the Climate Impulse project. Their expertise and know-how perfectly complement our association with the Solar Impulse Foundation and will allow this climate, technological and human project to come to fruition. I am delighted to see international synergies being created around this magnificent and hopeful project.”
“We are delighted to participate in the Climate Impulse project. This collaboration is a unique opportunity for our researchers and students to work on pioneering solutions to climate challenges. We are determined to play a key role in promoting sustainability through innovation and research.”
Syensqo is a science company developing groundbreaking solutions that enhance the way we live, work, travel and play. Inspired by the scientific councils which Ernest Solvay initiated in 1911, we bring great minds together to push the limits of science and innovation for the benefit of our customers, with a diverse, global team of more than 13,000 associates in 30 countries.
Our solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices and health care applications. Our innovation power enables us to deliver on the ambition of a circular economy and explore breakthrough technologies that advance humanity.
Learn more at www.syensqo.com.
Serial explorer, medical doctor, psychiatrist, and pioneer of clean technologies combining innovation and adventure to tackle the great challenges of our time. As both a psychiatrist and explorer, Dr. Bertrand Piccard made history by achieving two aviation firsts: a non-stop round-the-world balloon flight and a solar-powered round-the-world flight. A pioneer in considering ecology from an economic profitability perspective, he has been promoting renewable energies and clean technologies since the early 2000s. Through the Solar Impulse Foundation, which he chairs, he demonstrates that it is possible to address ecological challenges without harming economic development, reaching his first goal of identifying and labeling more than 1500 "Efficient Solutions" in April 2021. A humanist and former United Nations Environment Ambassador, he uses his notoriety to advance progress, sustainability and quality of life, three concepts reflected in his "qualitative economy" concept. To support his approach, he strives to bring together stakeholders, raise public awareness, and encourage political action through advocacy for legislative modernization and guides to accelerate the adoption of clean technologies and assist political and industrial decision-makers in their ecological transition. The new green hydrogen aircraft project, Climate Impulse, is part of this effort to explore new ways of doing and thinking.
Climate Impule is a revolutionary project led by clean technology pioneer and explorer Dr. Bertrand Piccard and composite materials engineer and navigator Mr. Raphaël Dinelli. Its goal is to achieve a non-stop, zero-emission round-the-world flight aboard a green hydrogen aircraft by 2028. Through this unprecedented adventure, this climate action flagship aims to transform the aviation sector and beyond by proposing innovative solutions in fields considered difficult to decarbonize. Inheriting from Breitling Orbiter 3 and Solar Impulse, the vision of Climate Impulse is a clean and efficient world – where innovation serves sustainability, shaping an economy powered by clean energy and marked by optimized and resource-efficient practices.
For more information: www.climateimpulse.org
OCP Group helps feed a growing global population by providing it with the essential elements for soil fertility and plant growth. With over a century of expertise and a turnover of more than USD 9 billion in 2023, OCP is the world leader in plant nutrition solutions and phosphate-based fertilizers. Headquartered in Morocco and present on five continents, OCP has approximately 20,000 employees and works closely with over 350 customers around the world. OCP recently launched a green investment strategy, dedicated to increasing fertilizer production and investing in renewable energy. The strategy foresees an overall investment of approximately USD 13 billion over the period 2023-2027, which will enable the Group to use 100% non-conventional water in 2024 (to ensure its complete autonomy, including a water desalination capacity of 560 million m3 per year by 2026), 100% clean energy by 2027 and to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2040 (Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, and Scope 3 by 2040), while increasing the production of green fertilizers. The Group is firmly convinced that leadership and profitability are synonymous with social responsibility and sustainable development. Its strategic vision sits at the junction of these two dimensions.
For more information: www.ocpgroup.ma
University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) is a pioneering Moroccan university dedicated to developing innovative solutions addressing Africa's specific challenges and broader global issues. Focused on education and research while cultivating close partnerships with the industrial sector, fostering innovation and entrepreneurial development, UM6P is committed to training a new generation of talents destined to shape the future of the African continent.
For more information: www.um6p.ma/en
A non-stop flight around the world, emission-free
We are the first and the main technological partner of Climate Impulse, a new environmental and technological endeavor led by Bertrand Piccard, to build and fly the first hydrogen plane, non-stop around the world. That’s right, a nine-day, emission-free circumnavigation of the globe!