The EU aims for bioeconomy perfect, by tossing out the good

September 11, 2016 |

712dc4_7de7e5a270fa4d80b419370d27ddfcb4If you’ve been trapped in a sensory deprivation chamber the past few months, or simply tune out anything to do with the European Commission, you’ve probably not noticed that the EU has put itself on a fast-track to limit, if not abandon, first-generation biofuels and focus almost exclusively for its carbon future on advanced biofuels.

There’s been howling in the Digest from the likes of former Irish environment minister Dick Roche, who thinks that the EU has completely lost the plot on biofuels.

On the surface, many would find lots to agree with in the general idea. Dump the whole food-vs-fuel problems, and dump the “conventional biofuels don’t lower emissions enough to deserve protection” debate. All at the same time, while making the world safe for advanced solar fuels.

But is it that simple? Let’s investigate.

Clearing the Fog: A Digest translation

Europe has a lot of fog, and nowhere can you see it better than inside a European Commission position paper. They are written in an obscure dialect of English called Brusselese, which is unintelligible to most English-speakers.

So, we translate.

In the original Brusselese.

Through its initiatives, the EU will create enabling conditions and provide strong incentives for low-emission mobility. The actions announced in this communication are part of a holistic approach requiring the long-term engagement of all stakeholders, including Member States, which will have to do their part according to their responsibilities. Europe’s researchers and manufacturing and service industries should continue to innovate and make business choices with a mid-century goal in mind. 

In English

We want to match our incentives with the technologies that drive down carbon the most, by 2050.

In Brusselese

To facilitate the transition to low-emission mobility and provide certainty for investors, the EU regulatory framework needs to change. Many advances in the past have been offset by growing transport demand, so a transport system that is more efficient needs to be the starting point. Low-emission alternative energy for transport represents an opportunity for innovation and job creation and allows reducing Europe’s dependency on imported oil. 

In English

Goodbye to incentives to any technology that does not make our approved list, but those that do can make a boatload of money.

In Brusselese

Digital technologies can make transport safer, more efficient and inclusive. They enable seamless door-to-door mobility, integrated logistics and value added services. To make best use of this potential, these technologies need to be well-integrated in sustainable mobility concepts. For this reason, the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems for all transport modes has become an integral part of the development of the multimodal Trans-European Transport Network. 

In road transport considerable efforts are now being made to stimulate the development and deployment of Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems. To this end, the Commission is working on a framework for the swift and coordinated deployment of such systems across the EU. 

In English

Good times ahead for Über and Google’s automated vehicles.

In Brusselese

Transport in the EU still depends on oil for about 94% of its energy needs, which is much higher than in any other sector and makes transport heavily dependent on imports. While the transition to low-emission alternative energy in transport has already begun, it will need to accelerate in the next decade. It is an opportunity for Europe to develop leadership in new products, such as advanced biofuels. Relevant infrastructure needs to be rolled-out. 

In English

Well, this sucks. No matter how much we deploy wind and solar, we Europeans have to work on transport. We’d rather set our hair on fire. Since we have to do something, we’ll support transformative technologies from Tomorrowland, rather than the first-gen tech we encouraged everyone to build the last time we thought this through.

In Brusselese

As part of the revision of the current legislation related to fuels and renewable energy, the Commission is examining how to provide a strong incentive to innovate in energies needed for the long-term decarbonisation. This could be done for example as an obligation for fuel suppliers to provide a certain share of renewable alternative energy, i.a. advanced biofuels and synthetic fuels, for example through a blending mandate or an obligation to reduce the  greenhouse gas impact of the energy supplied. 

In English

We haven’t decided whether we will copy the Renewable Fuel Standard of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard; we’ll get back to you on that one. But hopefully you’ll build lots of tech stuff while we’re thinking about it, so we can pull the rug from under you, too.

In Brusselese

The Commission already indicated that food-based biofuels have a limited role in decarbonising the transport sector and should not receive public support after 2020. In the context of the ongoing analytical work to support the revision of the current legislation on fuels and renewable energy, the Commission is focusing on their gradual phase out and replacement by more advanced biofuels. The impacts will be assessed carefully including the investment needs for advanced biofuels and the fact that without support, at this stage, they will not be able to compete with fossil fuels or food-based biofuels. 

In English

First-gen, you’re history. Thanks for playing “spin the policy wheel with the European Union”. We’ll be back after this commercial message from our sponsors, the United Brotherhood of Big Oil, Big Food, and “We Are the NGOs that Killed Big Palm”.

In Brusselese

The widest range of options is currently available for passenger cars and buses, and solutions are rather straightforward for rail through electrification. In the medium-term, advanced biofuels will be particularly important for aviation, as well as for lorries and coaches. Natural Gas is expected to be increasingly used as an alternative for marine fuels in shipping and for diesel in lorries and coaches. Its potential can be increased significantly with the use of bio-methane and synthetic methane (power-to-gas technologies). 

In English

You better make jet fuel and renewable diesel, bro’.  And don’t count on diesel because we like natural gas so much that you can disregard any comments we make about targeting towards the lowest carbon emissions possible.

The Bottom Line

The Eu thinks a) food-based biofuels sucks, b) targeting biofuels towards light duty road transport sucks and c) sticking to the plan everyone used to guide their investments sucks.

Will they succeed? Well, the Soviet of Brussels has spoken, and unless the EU member parliaments rise in a fury, they might get their way. Should that happen, look for most sugar-based fermentation strategies aim towards chemicals and existing ethanol capacity might well retrofit for alcohol-to-jet technology.

All in all, could be boom times for the 4-carbon crowd, even if it looks like a crazy form of punishment for all those companies who so obligingly invested in 2-carbon technologies that the EU said it wanted so badly, say 10 years ago.

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