Surprise: the G7 has overtaken the EU on biofuels
The latest G7 communiqué equates e-fuel and biofuels, even if the European Union has only accepted the former. But the "battle" with Brussels is not over, assures Minister Pichetto. And some opening comes from the Commission. All the details
The "battle" with the European Union over biofuels is not over, assures Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, clinging to the latest G7 statement.
All the details.
A STEP BACK: THE SITUATION IN EUROPE BETWEEN THE COMMISSION, GERMANY AND ITALY
Giorgia Meloni's government would like to reach an agreement with the Commission on the use of biofuels after 2035, when the ban on the sale of new cars equipped with internal combustion engines will take effect throughout the Community.
The European regulation aims to encourage electric mobility to encourage the decarbonisation of the transport sector, but it has been contested above all by Italy and Germany for its impact on the automotive supply chain, which is important for both countries both for the contribution to the GDP and for the employment generated. In Italy, for example, the sector is worth 13 percent of GDP and 250,000 jobs.
Berlin, however, managed to obtain an exemption from the Commission for e-fuels , synthetic fuels that are "neutral" from an emission point of view (the CO2 they release into the tailpipe is equal to that originally absorbed by the air to produce them ) and capable of circulating in endothermic engines. Essentially, cars powered exclusively by e-fuel will not be affected by the post-2035 sales ban.
Rome, on the other hand, failed to close an agreement with Brussels: it would have liked to obtain an exemption from the ban on biofuels – low-emission fuels derived from agricultural crops or organic waste, and suitable for use in traditional engines -, but the application was rejected. In our country there is a biofuel industry, headed by Eni, but no e-fuel production.
THE WORDS OF TOCCALINI (LEGA)
“Germany, as always, defends its own interests, being able to count on a privileged relationship with the European Commission,” Lega deputy Luca Toccalini told Euractiv , who recalled the high production prices of e-fuels (their primary use will in fact be in luxury cars, it seems). “The risk is that only those who own luxury cars, such as the German Porsche and Audi, can afford it. Finding the alternative, converging on biofuels, is fundamental for us, as well as being a greener choice than e-fuels in terms of circular economy” (advanced biofuels are obtained from waste materials).
THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE G7 ON BIOFUEL AND THE WORDS OF PICHETTO
In the conclusions of the latest G7 summit – the forum that brings together seven economically advanced states: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom, plus the European Union – dedicated to climate, energy and environment we talk about synthetic fuels and biofuels: both are defined as "opportunities to contribute to a strong decarbonisation of the automotive sector".
“The openness of the G7 countries bodes well that the results that Italy wants to achieve represent international objectives for the protection of the automotive supply chain,” Minister Gilberto Pichetto told ANSA in recent days. "I believe", he added, "that […] it is necessary to restart the dialogue with European countries in order to arrive at the best solutions with reliable scientific data: biofuels will be able to replace petrol and diesel and keep the Italian car industry alive".
Eni expects to produce 2 million tons of biofuels a year by 2025, to reach 6 million tons within ten years. In 2021, however, the Italian fleet consumed 7 million tonnes of petrol and 23 million tonnes of diesel.
NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON BIOFUEL
On the sidelines of the last euro summit, the meeting of representatives of the member countries of the euro area, at the end of March, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had ensured that the "game" on biofuels was not lost for Italy. And he thinks that the European Union should not meddle in the choices of national governments on the technologies to be used to achieve climate neutrality.
Despite their exclusion from the regulation on zero-emission cars, Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson has nevertheless declared that biofuels are "necessary" and that the Commission intends to support their development. Consequently, Pichetto reiterated that "negotiations" with Brussels "are open", and that Italy wants to be at the forefront both in the production of biofuels and e-fuels.
At the 19th dialogue forum between Italy and Spain, held on 31 March, Pichetto invited Madrid (it will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union from the second half of 2023) to collaborate with Rome to promote scientific recognition of the "technological neutrality of biofuels".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/biocarburanti-comunicato-g7/ on Tue, 18 Apr 2023 08:32:21 +0000.