Europe shouldn’t halt transport decarbonisation says ePure

European ethanol association ePure has responded to the draft report by European parliament member Corinne Lepage which focused on the European Commission’s (EC) proposal for a directive amending the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and the directive of the use of energy from renewable sources (RED).

‘We see some constructive suggestions in Lepage's draft report but also some ideas that give cause for real concern,’ states Rob Vierhout, ePure secretary general.

Epure recalls that renewable ethanol, made in Europe, produces greenhouse gas emission savings for transport between 50%-90% compared to fossil fuels. The ethanol industry therefore does not endorse the suggested proposal in Lepage's report to postpone the reduction of GHG emissions under the FQD to 2025.

‘If we are serious about decarbonising transport then there should not be a call for postponing measures,’ adds Vierhout.

The industry can neither agree to use ILUC factors as a sustainability criterion and ePure holds the position that, at this stage, there is not a minimum of scientific consensus on ILUC effects.

‘Yet, even if you take into account the supposed land use change emissions of biofuels mentioned in reports commissioned by the NGOs Greenpeace, Transport and Environment, the European Environmental Bureau and BirdLife Europe, renewable ethanol still allows for impressive substantial emissions savings,’ ePure said in a statement.

‘For the technology of ligno-cellulosic ethanol to come to full deployment, and keep the investments in Europe, we strongly favour a mandatory, dedicated target for advanced biofuels of at least 2%, but not virtual measures such as multiple counting,’ adds Vierhout. ‘A target creates certainty that investors need, but calling for ILUC factors for certain advanced biofuels in the near future adds another uncertainty we do not support.’