Brussels, 25/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Alternative fuels have the potential to gradually replace fossil energy sources and make transport sustainable by 2050. Introduction of these alternative fuels will have to be harmonised at European level and differentiated according to mode of transport. These are the conclusions of an expert report on future transport fuels presented to the European Commission on Tuesday 25 January. The Commission will bring forward an initiative on clean transport systems by the end of the year to govern the introduction of alternative fuels in the sector. The public consultation on the policy options should be launched in the spring, Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas announced, indicating that the report presented on Monday would be the “key document” in drafting the strategy.
“Our aim is to fully replace oil as the energy source in transport. This is a long-term thing - by 2050”, Kallas said in a meeting with industry players on Monday. “If we want to make transport really sustainable, we have to look towards alternative fuels. For this, we have to consider the needs of all modes of transport”, he added.
The report, drafted on the remit given to the expert group chaired by Franz Söldner of DG Mobility and Transport and made up of representatives of the European Commission and some 50 organisations in the sector, is the first to take account of the needs of all forms of transport. It does not recommend any single energy source even though, the experts say, it would be technically possible to run the whole sector with liquid biofuels and synthetic fuels. However, the report proposes that the fuel best suited to the mode of transport from a number of energy sources (electricity, biofuels, methane, LPG -liquid petroleum gas - and synthetic fuels) be used. Thus, for the road sector, the expert group recommends use of electricity for short distances, hydrogen or methane for journeys of medium length and biofuels or synthetic fuels, LNG (liquefied natural gas) or LPG for long distances (currently 3% of cars in Europe, around 5 million vehicles, use LPG and there are 27,000 service stations selling it). The rail sector should, as far as is possible, be electrified or use biofuels, while aviation should make use of kerosene derived from the biomass (biofuels or synthetic fuels). For maritime and inland waterway transport, the options are even more complex. Biofuels could be used by all vessels. Inland waterway transport and small boats should use hydrogen which can be produced from any primary energy source. For short sea shipping, the best solution would be to use LPG while for maritime transport, the report recommends nuclear power or LNG. The report also points out that the shift to biofuels and synthetic fuels will not require major changes to supply infrastructure. The group believes that the introduction of the main alternative fuels should be carried out to the same standards throughout Europe. Measures to encourage the move to cleaner energy sources should also be harmonised at European level.
Reducing dependence on carbon is one of the main priorities of the EU 2020 strategy and of transport policy. Both seek to reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions (CO2) and to reduce the transport sector's dependence on oil, which is gradually becoming less plentiful, but which is still the major source of energy especially for road transport (55%) and aviation (99.9% of aviation fuel comes from oil-based products, the report says). The EU's long-term objective is to reduce CO2emissions by 80%-95% compared with 1990 levels by 2050, by replacing fossil sources of energy with low-carbon energy. The transport sector will be required to reduce its emissions by around 70% over the same period, under proposals in the new White Paper on the common transport policy which will gather views on this issue. Pressure on the sector is all the greater as it is the only industrial sector where, despite all efforts, CO2 emissions have increased in recent times. Taking all modes into account, the transport sector is responsible for 20% of all of the EU's emissions, with road transport accounting for 80% of this amount. Setting out the measures to follow before the clean transport systems strategy is presented at the end of the year, Kallas announced that a public consultation was to be held in the spring. The Commission is also awaiting the results of a comprehensive study on the cost of the strategy. When asked about this, Kallas was cautious, stressing that there would be a carefully considered allocation of financial resources. (A.By./transl.rt)