European Commission urged to deliver robust 2030 policies to support advanced biofuels in transport

A group of biofuel companies, NGOs and think-tanks have urged the European Commission (EC) to support advanced biofuels in its 2030 climate policy for transport.

In a statement, the group said it has become increasingly urgent to tackle emissions from the transport sector following the Paris climate change agreement. The transport sector has become the EU’s largest source of carbon emissions, according to the group.

The group, which is known as the Biofrontiers platform, launched policy recommendations on 11 October, 2016, following over a year of discussion between industry and civil society about the technical, economic and environmental issues associated with developing the next generation of low-carbon fuels.

The platform concluded that with robust sustainability assurance, there is a compelling case for strong advanced alternative fuel incentives.

According to the group, this should take the form of a realistic and responsible binding target for fuel suppliers for sustainable advanced alternative fuels in 2025, with a higher target-range set for 2030, providing that sustainability has been demonstrated. Such policy should ensure deep cuts to the sector’s lifecycle emissions and safeguard food, soil, water and biodiversity, the group said.

The Biofrontiers report stated: “It has become clear that there is a wide range of carbon implications from alternative liquid fuels.

“Many advanced biofuels from wastes and residues have very low carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels, offering savings in the range of 60-90%. By contrast, some other biofuels offer little or no benefit, particularly where associated with largescale deforestation.”

Commenting on the issue, Jennifer Holmgren, CEO LanzaTech, said: “As we are within five years from reaching a 1.5 degree temperature rise, it is urgent that we implement measures to reduce our global carbon footprint.

“To succeed, we must incentivise novel options and approaches by utilizing flexible policy frameworks that support the deployment of fuel technologies and feedstocks that fit within the required sustainability umbrella.”

‘Sustainable liquid fuels’

Jos Dings, executive director of Transport & Environment, added: “If we are to learn from past mistakes, Europe should only promote sustainable liquid fuels on the basis of their environmental and carbon-saving performances.

“The best solution is to give fuel suppliers the task to clean up their products, combined with strong sustainability safeguards, which will put the bad stuff to rest and boost truly clean forms of transport energy.”

Angel Alberdi, Secretary General, European Waste to Advanced Biofuels Association, explained:  “The Biofrontiers project shows EU decision-makers the way forward for the EU promotion of non-food based alternative fuels. The EU industry stands ready to provide a key contribution to the decarbonisation of the EU transport sector.”

Jonathan Murray, policy director of the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP), added: “The LowCVP believes that sustainable low-carbon transport fuels can, and should, make a significant contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions both now and in the longer term.

“The commercialisation of sustainable advanced biofuels should be a priority for meeting 2030 goals, and mobilising investment is critical to the prospects of achieving this. Long-term confidence is required to stimulate investment, and there is also a need for a robust and consistent definition of ‘sustainability’, which is stable and evolves predictably over time.”

Marko Janhunen, vice president, UPM Biorefining, said: “Biofrontiers has been extremely useful as it has brought together the ENGOs and the advanced biofuels industry.

“UPM recognises the need to ensure common understanding on high sustainability requirements. It is crystal clear we need to get high-quality advanced biofuels into the market. UPM has been producing renewable diesel from residues since early 2015, and we see how huge the demand is for sustainable, high quality advanced biofuels.”

This story was written by Liz Gyekye, editor of Biofuels International.