Biofuel industry reacts to EU Parliament’s acceptance of REDII

This week, the European Parliament voted and passed the revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) with goals set for post-2020.

Included in the policy is an EU-wide increased renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, up from the 20% target in 2009. The directive also contains a binding target of a minimum of 14% for renewables in transport by 2030.

However, the revision also introduces a cap on the contribution of crop-based fuels to 7%.

Bioethanol trade association ePURE stated that it was crucial that EU Member States increased their use of renewable ethanol in transport between now and 2020 to maximise their ability to reach REDII targets.

“There’s a message here for the European Commission as it prepares to unveil its long-term strategy for emissions reduction,” said Emmanuel Desplechin, ePURE secretary-general.

“Member States and the European Parliament have agreed that sustainable crop-based biofuels like EU ethanol have an important role to play in decarbonisation. The new long-term strategy looking to 2050 should reinforce this by acknowledging the importance of both first- and second-generation ethanol. That would send a real signal from Brussels to Member States that the EU is serious about reducing emissions from transport.”

Finnish renewable diesel supplier Neste described itself as ‘satisfied’ in a press release addressing the acceptance of the REDII revision.

“We are pleased with the European Parliament’s voting result,” said Ilkka Räsänen, Neste director of Public Affairs.

“As expected, the Parliament supports the EU-wide overall target of 32% for renewables in 2030, and the binding target of minimum 14% for renewables in transport in 2030. This clearly indicates that the European Union takes climate change seriously, and it has ambition to increase the use of renewable energy in transport.”

The European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association’s (EWABA) secretary-general Angel Alvarez Alberdi called for more ambitious transport goals to be proposed in 2023.

“In general terms, even if the general 14% target for the transport sector in 2030 is a step in the good direction, we really hope that the EU will use the REDII review clause to propose a more ambitious target in 2023. EWABA believes that the REDII establishes a favourable regulatory framework for waste biodiesel. Indeed, with this deal the EU recognises the key role to be played by used cooking oil and animal fats-based biodiesel in decarbonising the EU transport sector in the 2021-2030 period,” Alberdi told Biofuels International.

“The REDII leaves plenty of details yet to be decided both at the EU level, via delegated and implementing acts, and at national level, via national implementation laws. We enter now a very important phase during which we will pay close attention to developments in Brussels and in national capitals to ensure that Member States continue counting on waste biodiesel to achieve the EU decarbonisation targets.”

 

This article was written by Joshua Heer, junior editor of Biofuels International.