Recent statistics by Eurostat revealed a sharp drop in the green energy share in EU transport between 2020 and 2021 that is, to a large extent, due to a new approach to renewable energy calculation under RED II.
RED II caps at 1.7% the contribution of biofuels made from used cooking oil and certain animal fats. Even if such fuels have a high share in national demand, such as in Ireland, Hungary, Slovenia, Portugal and the Netherlands, it would not count towards green goals beyond the mandated cap. This in turn hurts the renewable energy share in transport on paper.
Crop-based biofuels also have a cap of 7%, which could make it harder to reach future green goals in the EU, the European renewable ethanol industry association ePURE has warned. Its Director General David Carpintero said at the end of January that if the European Commission “keeps restricting the use of proven solutions such as sustainable crop-based biofuels, we will have to rely on accounting tricks and multipliers to achieve the objectives of Fit for 55.”
Carpintero also noted that introducing E10, the blend with up to 10% renewable ethanol, as a standard petrol grade could help a lot in boosting the share of renewables.
