Phasing out fossil fuels within the transport sector and different points of life is now not only a local weather change concern. The battle in Ukraine has emphasised the urgency in lowering the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels. That’s the place sustainable biofuels from crops, wastes and residues come into the image.
POLITICO Studio talked to Kristell Guizouarn, the president of the European Biodiesel Board (EBB), a non-profit group bringing collectively EU producers of biodiesel from all feedstocks. She spoke concerning the Match for 55 bundle and the way sustainable biodiesel might help to decarbonize Europe’s vitality and transport sectors.
Q. EU international locations have an enormous problem forward of them: phasing out fossil fuels to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions from transport by 90 p.c by 2050. How can biodiesel assist the EU to attain that objective?
A. Transport is a posh sector, requiring a variety of options to maneuver away from fossil fuels. Switching to electrical autos won’t be sufficient to succeed in the 2030 local weather targets, and street transport electrification won’t occur in a single day, with at the moment’s buses, vehicles, and vehicles set to stay on the street for years.
Each ton of biodiesel changing fossil gas saves over three tons of direct CO2 emissions.
Sustainable biodiesel is among the options already serving to decrease emissions from transport considerably. Each ton of biodiesel changing fossil gas saves over three tons of direct CO2 emissions. It may be blended with fossil diesel, or totally exchange it, with no need to vary present infrastructure or engines. And, along with street transport, it is usually an answer for maritime and aviation.
Q. Along with the decarbonization of transport, what are a number of the key advantages of biodiesel?
A. Biodiesel performs an enormous position in producing each gas and meals. For instance, over 9 million tons of rapeseed — round 40 p.c of the biodiesel produced within the EU — are used for the manufacturing of biodiesel, whereas the high-protein byproduct is on the market to farmers as animal feed. So, it’s an enormous win-win that helps the EU meet its local weather targets and offset the necessity for imports of animal feed, whereas offering further income to farmers rising the crops.
It’s an enormous win-win that helps the EU meet its local weather targets and offset the necessity for imports of animal feed.
One other huge benefit is that trash doesn’t need to be wasted. Waste and recycling firms ship used cooking oil and animal fat generated by customers or industrial processes to fashionable biodiesel refineries — supporting the EU’s round economic system and lowering emissions.
After which there’s glycerin, bio-naphtha, lecithin, bio-LPG, and a number of other biochemicals, all byproducts from refineries to switch fossil fuel-based chemical substances in on a regular basis merchandise similar to cosmetics, meals and polymers.
Q. Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has highlighted the pressing have to displace fossil fuels. What has been the affect of the battle on the biodiesel business within the EU?
A. The battle in Ukraine has disrupted the availability of sure commodities similar to sunflower and corn, and has generated a excessive volatility in the marketplace, in addition to greater vitality costs. That has resulted in some critics saying that the EU’s demand for ethanol and biodiesel exacerbates meals safety issues. However biodiesel manufacturing doesn’t scale back the supply of meals. It’s the other: biodiesel manufacturing solely makes use of the surplus fat that can’t be consumed as meals. So, by cultivating extra biodiesel crops we add extra protein to the meals provide. We’d not have this a lot European rapeseed if the biodiesel market didn’t exist.
Furthermore, any nationwide measures aiming at decreasing gas costs by lowering biofuels’ incorporation mandates wouldn’t obtain their desired affect. As an alternative, they might trigger severe harm to the European agriculture sector, in addition to meals provide, protein and vitality independence, additionally jeopardizing our combat towards local weather change.
Q. The European Fee has put ahead a revised Renewable Vitality Directive (RED) as a part of the Match for 55 bundle. What would you wish to see within the ultimate textual content?
A. The general renewables targets ought to be the best potential for the EU to attain its Inexperienced Deal targets. That’s why we assist rising the greenhouse fuel depth discount goal within the transport sector from 13 p.c to no less than 16 p.c by 2030.
We wish the general renewables targets to be the best potential for the EU to attain its Inexperienced Deal targets.
To fulfill elevated decarbonization targets — and, in return, the rising market demand for biodiesel — it’s key to couple particular incentives for sectors which might be tough to decarbonize, similar to heavy-duty autos, aviation and maritime, with steady and long-term regulatory assist for all sustainable feedstocks.
The Fee proposal upholds the 7 p.c restrict on how a lot crop-based biofuel can be utilized within the transport sector and counted towards the renewable vitality targets of EU international locations. It’s critical to no less than keep this degree. That’s why it’s regarding to see some MEPs and stakeholders pushing to cut back the share of crop-based biofuels.
Q. What different insurance policies within the Match for 55 bundle may assist industries enhance using sustainable biofuels like biodiesel?
A. At the start, it’s necessary to have a coherent EU coverage framework for all transport modes abiding by a single set of sustainability standards. The proposed definition of sustainable aviation fuels within the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation ought to be modified to incorporate all sustainable biodiesel together with crop-based, to align with the RED. In the identical vein, the FuelEU Maritime regulation ought to be harmonized with the RED guidelines.
We additionally assume that greater ranges of biodiesel mixing — similar to B10, B100 and HVO100 — ought to be additional incentivized for street transport, specifically for heavy-duty autos. These high-level biodiesel blends are in the mean time used much less because of a scarcity of regulatory incentives and pricing, although an uptick of biodiesel means an extra shift away from fossil fuels.
Lastly, EU CO2 requirements for autos solely account for tailpipe emissions, which known as ‘tank-to-wheel’. This strategy favors electrical vehicles and fails to incentivize biofuels with a decrease greenhouse fuel emissions footprint. That’s the reason we suggest to maneuver towards a ‘well-to-wheel’ strategy that accounts for your complete cycle. For vehicles, we see that the ‘tank-to-wheel’ strategy is prevailing. However we hope that EU regulators will undertake a extra inclusive strategy for the upcoming regulation on heavy-duty autos.
Q. How do you see using biodiesel evolving over the approaching many years?
Biodiesel will probably be essential to reply to this rising demand, particularly for these transport modes the place electrification is just not a possible possibility.
A. We count on a pointy enhance within the demand for renewable fuels. The revised RED, FuelEU Maritime and ReFuelEU Aviation mandates are projected to greater than double the demand for renewable liquid fuels by 2030. Biodiesel will probably be essential to reply to this rising demand — particularly for these transport modes the place electrification is just not a possible possibility.
