<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/motoring/2022/10/18/all-electric-rolls-royce-spectre-revealed-on-global-stage-for-first-time/" target="_blank">Rolls-Royce</a> and easyJet have completed the world’s first successful trial of a jet engine powered by hydrogen fuel. The ground test was conducted on the engine using <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2022/11/11/africa-likely-to-capture-10-of-global-green-hydrogen-market-by-2050/" target="_blank">green hydrogen</a> produced by wind and tidal power generated in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It took place at Ministry of Defence site Boscombe Down in Wiltshire, south-west England, using a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100-A aircraft engine, which is widely used by planes around the world. The companies, which are aiming to prove <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2022/10/21/green-hydrogen-investments-get-a-boost-from-soaring-gas-prices-report-says/" target="_blank">hydrogen</a> can safely and efficiently power civil plane engines, are planning to conduct a second set of trials. Flight tests remain a longer-term ambition. Grazia Vittadini, chief technology officer for Rolls-Royce, said: “We only announced our partnership with easyJet in July and we are already off to an incredible start with this landmark achievement. We are pushing the boundaries to discover the zero-carbon possibilities of hydrogen, which could help reshape the future of flight.” Johan Lundgren, chief executive of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2022/08/19/easyjet-cancels-14-international-flights-as-pilots-strike/" target="_blank">easyJet</a>, said the test represented a “huge step forward” in reaching the companies' shared goal of attaining net zero by 2050. “This is a real success for our partnership team," he added. “We are committed to continuing to support this ground-breaking research because hydrogen offers great possibilities for a range of aircraft, including easyJet-sized aircraft.” After analysis of the early concept ground test, the partnership plans a series of rig tests, leading up to a full-scale ground test of a Rolls-Royce Pearl 15 jet engine. Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2022/10/20/grant-shapps-suella-braverman-home-secretary/" target="_blank">Grant Shapps</a>, said it was a “true British success story”. “The UK is leading the global shift to guilt-free flying, and today’s test by Rolls-Royce and easyJet is an exciting demonstration of how business innovation can transform the way we live our lives,” he said. “This is a true British success story, with the hydrogen being used to power the jet engine today produced using tidal and wind energy from the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2022/05/12/drones-take-off-to-deliver-mail-in-uks-remote-islands/" target="_blank">Orkney Islands of Scotland</a> — and is a prime example of how we can work together to make aviation cleaner while driving jobs across the country.” The partnership is inspired by the global, UN-backed Race to Zero campaign.