The eFuel Alliance has welcomed the European Commission’s RePowerEU Plan as an additional booster for the Fit for 55 climate package currently discussed in Brussels. However, the delegated act on sustainability criteria for eFuels is still missing the eFuel Alliance points out.
Among other things presented on May 18, 2022, the European Commission proposes to further increase the share of renewable energies in the final energy consumption – instead of 40 percent as originally proposed, the target is now to be raised to 45 percent.
The EU Commission made a clear decision on the direction. In addition to expanding renewable energies domestically, we will have to step up our efforts in global energy partnerships to solve the energy dilemma, said Dr Monika Griefahn, founding member of Greenpeace Germany, former Environment Minister of Lower Saxony, and chair for the eFuel Alliance.
Accordingly, the Commission recommends increasing the sub-target for renewable hydrogen and electro-fuels (eFuels) in the transport sector, which is also included in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), to five percent.
In view of the current energy crisis, this step is absolutely right and an important signal that the European Council and Parliament should now urgently heed said Dr Monika Griefahn welcoming the Commission’s move.
However, the chair of the eFuel Alliance expressed her disappointment that the EU Commission – although announced – has still not submitted a delegated act on power purchase criteria for green hydrogen and its derivates such as eFuels.
We urgently need a pragmatic proposal for the market uptake of eFuels. On the one hand, the EU Commission wants to push the green hydrogen economy, but on the other hand, it is not in a position to present the necessary legislation – yet the deadline for this already expired at the end of last year. There is a glaring gap between aspiration and reality here, Dr Griefahn said.
To make the transition to a renewable energy system, the EU should also strengthen the role of hydrogen-based eFuels.
Being a climate-neutral energy carrier, eFuels can solve the problem of storing and transporting intermittent renewable energies.
Produced in regions rich in solar and wind energy, eFuels are the most cost-effective solution to unlock the global potential of renewables.
Europe needs to make more timely and targeted efforts to establish energy partnerships on an equal footing with countries where conditions are particularly favorable for electricity production from renewable sources, Dr Griefahn said.
On average, a wind turbine in Chile has four times more full-load hours than a comparable turbine in Germany.
However, South America as an important strategic energy partner is not on the Commission’s radar at all. Instead, the strategy paper focuses on fossil gas like LNG. This is understandable as a short-term measure to cushion the consequences of a potential supply stop from Russia. However, the Commission fails to set the course for long-term sustainable projects at the same time. We need to lay the groundwork today so that we have a diverse energy supply with renewable fuels tomorrow, ended Dr Monika Griefahn
