Concerns in biodiesel industry raised over sustainable aviation fuel regulation
Waste-based biodiesel producers and associations using lipid feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO) have reacted to the European Commission’s new legislative framework to promote sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) initiative.
The organisations said they believed this would play a significant role in the much-needed decarbonisation of the air transport sector.
But in the letter they said that if the Commission proposes to shift resources from on-road to aviation this could damage the industry and hit investment in waste biodiesel plants.
They also fear this would send a negative policy uncertainty signal to investors in other novel technologies, effectively hampering further investments in much-needed sectors.
The letter added: “At the same time, we strongly believe that the Commission should consider the EU transport sector as a whole and in consequence support the best solutions to reach the maximum overall emissions reduction.
"In this context we would like to express our deepest concern regarding the Commission plans to indiscriminately promote SAF at the expense of other parts of the EU transport sector, and in particular the road sector, as recently outlined in an inception impact assessment with the title Sustainable aviation fuels – ReFuelEU Aviation.
“We believe that any measure specifically mandating or disproportionately advantaging SAF produced from waste biodiesel feedstocks and road HVO (UCO and animal fats), would inexorably thwart the ‘near-term decarbonisation’ that our industry is bringing to the EU road transport sector with extremely negative consequences for our companies located in numerous EU member states.”
The letter added: “Waste-based biodiesel cannot be used as an aviation fuel due to its cold-flow properties. In consequence, any measure creating mandates or disproportionate incentives for the use of UCO and animal fats for aviation purposes eliminates any hope for a level playing field and would give a critical economic advantage to technologies using waste feedstocks such as UCO and animal fats to produce SAF.”
The group said they were happy to send a delegation to meet with the Commission to discuss their concerns.
The organisations said they believed this would play a significant role in the much-needed decarbonisation of the air transport sector.
But in the letter they said that if the Commission proposes to shift resources from on-road to aviation this could damage the industry and hit investment in waste biodiesel plants.
They also fear this would send a negative policy uncertainty signal to investors in other novel technologies, effectively hampering further investments in much-needed sectors.
The letter added: “At the same time, we strongly believe that the Commission should consider the EU transport sector as a whole and in consequence support the best solutions to reach the maximum overall emissions reduction.
"In this context we would like to express our deepest concern regarding the Commission plans to indiscriminately promote SAF at the expense of other parts of the EU transport sector, and in particular the road sector, as recently outlined in an inception impact assessment with the title Sustainable aviation fuels – ReFuelEU Aviation.
“We believe that any measure specifically mandating or disproportionately advantaging SAF produced from waste biodiesel feedstocks and road HVO (UCO and animal fats), would inexorably thwart the ‘near-term decarbonisation’ that our industry is bringing to the EU road transport sector with extremely negative consequences for our companies located in numerous EU member states.”
The letter added: “Waste-based biodiesel cannot be used as an aviation fuel due to its cold-flow properties. In consequence, any measure creating mandates or disproportionate incentives for the use of UCO and animal fats for aviation purposes eliminates any hope for a level playing field and would give a critical economic advantage to technologies using waste feedstocks such as UCO and animal fats to produce SAF.”
The group said they were happy to send a delegation to meet with the Commission to discuss their concerns.
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