The European Union has agreed rules requiring airlines to use more sustainable fuels from 2025 as part of plans to cut emissions in one of the bloc's most polluting sectors.
The green fuels law for aviation – known as ReFuelEU – was struck late Tuesday. It stipulates that all aircraft fuel used at EU airports will have to be blended with sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) from 2025.
At least 2 percent of the fuel must be SAF in 2025, rising every five years to reach 70 percent by 2050.
The proposal is designed to increase both the demand for and supply of SAF, which have net-zero or low carbon emissions.
Sustainable fuels covered by the rules include biofuels, recycled carbon fuels and synthetic fuels like e-kerosene – produced using captured CO2 and hydrogen.
Such fuels are currently produced in very small quantities, and are still far more expensive than conventional CO2-emitting fossil kerosene.
Ready for take-off
The aviation sector accounts for 13.9 percent of the EU’s transportation emissions, making it the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the sector after road transport, according to the European Commission.
The political agreement is part of the EU's “Fit for 55” climate change legislation that aims to cut the CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming by 55 percent by 2030 compared to the 1990 level.
The EU has also set a goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050, which requires cutting transport emissions by 90 percent compared to 1990 levels.
“The EU is setting all sectors on a pathway to climate neutrality, with the measures necessary to meet our 2030 and 2050 climate targets,” said Frans Timmermans, the EU Commissioner in charge of the European Green Deal.
"The EU is ready for take-off towards a more sustainable future for aviation."
Limited options
Aviation is seen as one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise, with zero-emission aircraft not expected for over a decade.
Sustainable fuel is therefore one of the few options to reduce air travel’s carbon footprint.
Some European airlines, like Air France-KLM, said they had already made more ambitious targets for SAF use than set out in the EU rules.
Others warned the deal could distort competition, as the SAF targets would apply to airlines flying from European hubs, but not to long-haul carriers flying from elsewhere.
Airlines are set to receive around 2 billion euros in funding from the EU carbon market to help them switch to SAF.
Biofuels can count towards the main SAF targets if they comply with EU sustainability criteria. Low-carbon hydrogen produced from nuclear power is also eligible – good news for France which has a large share of atomic power in its energy mix.
Campaign group Transport & Environment criticised the inclusion of some biofuels, including animal fats that it said could cause shortages in other industries, such as pet food production.
Greenpeace EU transport campaigner Thomas Gelin said airlines used sustainable fuels "as a smokescreen to dodge the fact that the only truly sustainable aviation is less aviation".
The deal still needs formal approval from both EU member states and the EU Parliament to enter into force.
(with newswires)
