Low-carbon liquid fuels could enable the transport sector to contribute to the EU's climate neutrality target by 2050, as well as reduce CO2 emissions by 100 million tonnes (Mt) by 2035, according to a decarbonation master plan proposed on Monday 15 June by FuelsEurope, an organisation who represents the European oil refining industry.
“Complementary to electrification and hydrogen technologies, low-carbon liquid fuels will be essential throughout the energy transition and beyond 2050”, said FuelsEurope's Managing Director John Cooper.
In their opinion, this type of fuel will indeed decarbonise sectors where there is currently no other technological alternative: aviation, maritime transport and, to a large extent, the heavy goods vehicle sector.
Under the proposed scheme, the first plant operating on a large industrial scale for the production of low-carbon liquid fuels would need to be built by 2025 at the latest.
Once it is operational, the first new plants would produce up to 30 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of low-carbon fuels by 2030, meaning an estimated investment cost of between 30 and 40 billion euros.
By 2050, depending on the scenario and the how the technological costs evolve, up to 150 Mtoe could be produced with cumulative investments of between 400 and 650 billion euros according to FuelsEurope.
When asked by EUROPE, Mr Cooper explained that the term 'low-carbon liquid fuels' refers to sustainable liquid fuels of non-petroleum origin, the production and use of which results in no or very low CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuels.
The enabling technology set for these fuels includes sustainable first generation biofuels, hydrogenation of vegetable oils/waste and residues, liquid biomass, advanced biofuels and e-fuels, as well as CCS and clean hydrogen applied in refineries, says FuelsEurope.
See the FuelsEurope document: https://bit.ly/2AGe7a8 (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)