Setting the agenda at conference in Brussels

ePURE’s Craig Winneker will be speaking on the second day of the Biofuels International Conference and Expo to be held in Brussels on June 18-19, and he shares his thoughts on the challenges the industry faces
Can you outline what you will be addressing at the conference?
Regulatory challenges remain, even after the sustainability of crop-based biofuels has been confirmed by the revised Renewable Energy Directive. At the Biofuels International Conference & Expo in June, we’ll explore these challenges, including a look at the potential future for Renewable Energy Directive-compliant renewable ethanol as a carbon neutral fuel, the need to promote the development and mainstreaming of higher ethanol blends and ensuring a continued role for biorefineries achieving EU goals for energy independence, food security and strategic autonomy.
How important are bioethanol plants in helping to reach decarbonisation goals?
European ethanol biorefineries are an important driver of decarbonisation in transport and should have a more important role to play in achieving carbon-neutrality. ePURE members’ ethanol already reduces GHG emissions by more than 78% compared to fossil petrol, and there has been continuous improvement in ethanol’s GHG intensity savings over the past decade, partly thanks to growing implementation of CCU, CCS and CHP technologies and increasing circularity. Many European biorefineries have the potential to reach carbon neutrality after 2030 and to be carbon negative after 2040.
Is the EU doing enough to combat climate change?
The EU’s ambitions to be a world leader in the fight against climate change are admirable, but daunting – which makes it all the more vital for policymakers to take a pragmatic approach that uses every available sustainable emissions-reduction technology. This is especially evident in the latest EU figures on renewable energy compiled by Eurostat, which show that the bloc is still heavily dependent on fossil fuel in transport once the influence of artificial multipliers is removed – more than 92% in 2022, compared to just 7% renewables. It’s clear that more needs to be done to promote real renewables in transport.
For more information: Visit: epure.org