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Biofuels EU - Policy

POLICY

The European Commission is supporting biofuels as it is keen to reduce the growing level of imported energy dependence and also help achieve its Greenhouse Gas reduction targets under the Kyoto protocol. The aim of the commission is to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 (from 1990 levels). This target may be increased (to 30%) if a multilateral agreement can be made.     

Historically, the EU Biofuels Directive (BD; Directive 2003/30/EC) was developed as one of a wide range of measures to promote sustainable development. One of its major aims was to tackle rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transport by promoting the use of biofuels. The BD established a minimum biofuel level (percentage by energy) to be included in road transport fuels sold in the EU. In 2005 this was 2% with the aim of reaching 5.75% in 2010 (for more information click here). 

Under the BD EU member states were required to set indicative targets to ramp up to 5.75%. For 2005 many member states did not reach their voluntary targets; this led to the Commission issuing a new mandatory target of 10% renewable energy in transport to be reached by all EU member states by 2020.  This energy policy also stated that 20% of energy used in the EU (15% for the UK) must be obtained from renewable sources by 2020.  For more detail see the Renewable Energy Directive (RED; Directive 2009/28/EC).

Under the RED there are a number of mandatory sustainability requirements for biofuels supply chains to comply with (by 05-12-2010):

  • Biofuels (and bioliquids) must meet 35% greenhouse gas savings over conventional petrol and diesel. Biofuel plants in operation on January 23rd 2008 are exempt from this until 2013.
  • From January 1st 2017 biofuels (and bioliquids) must meet greenhouse gas emissions savings of 50% and from January 1st 2018 they must meet 60% if they are produced in a facility commissioned in 2017.
  • Biofuels (and bioliquids) shall not be made from feedstocks obtained from land of high biodiversity (namely identified as forest, protected land or highly biodiverse grassland on or after January 2008).
  • Biofuels (and bioliquids) shall not be made from feedstocks obtained from land of high carbon stock value (namely wetlands and forested areas that have lost this status since January 2008).
  • Biofuels (and bioliquids) shall not be made from feedstocks obtained from land that was peatland in January 2008. Except when there is proof of no drainage of peatland to produce biofuel feedstocks.
  • That biofuel feedstocks are produced from land maintained under cross compliance rules (good agricultural and environmental condition; GAEC).

Note that there may be future modifications to biofuel and feedstock sustainability criteria. The points above are adapted from Article 17 of the RED and can be found here.  

The most commonly used biofuels in the EU are: 1) biodiesel made from soya beans and oilseeds; 2) bioethanol made from cereals or sugar containing plants (such as sugar beet and cane) and blended with petrol. However, interest is also growing in the use of biomethane produced from Anaerobic Digestion (AD) of biomass (see our biofuels facts and figures page here).

The Fuel Quality Directive (FQD; Directive 2009/30/EC) states that the European Community is committed to a 20% reduction in GHGs from 1990 levels by 2020 and that it will meet a 30% GHG reduction from 1990 levels by 2020 if a global GHG emissions savings agreement can be made. Part of the proposed GHG savings will be met by the reduction of emissions by fuel suppliers. The FQD states that GHG emissions savings of up to 10% per unit energy (by 2020) from fuel and energy supplied should arise from: 1) fossil fuels 6% (this is mandatory); 2) carbon capture and storage (CCS) 2% (voluntary); 3) credits purchased under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto protocol 2% (voluntary).

           BD                                  RED                                   FQD 

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