23 April, Brussels – The EU’s Joint Research Centre has projected that the EU is only to achieve an 8.7% use of renewable energy in transport by 2020, against a target of 10%. In 2011, the JRC projected usage of 9.7%, with the drop being a result of changes to passenger car sales and the E10 ethanol blend market.
The EU is also expected to fall further from its target if the Commission’s proposed 5% cap on first-generation biofuels is implemented. Due to limited availability of advanced biofuels, the cap would likely reduce renewable energy in transport to only 7.8% by 2020.
According to the study, proposed amendments from the Environment Committee of the European Parliament would give a total usage of 8.22%, whilst a compromise put forward by the Member States would give 8.75%, both short of the 2020 target.
All three proposals – Commission, Parliament and Council – would also see the EU miss its Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) target to cut transport fuel emissions by 6%. The Commission has proposed to scrap the renewables sub-target for transport and the FDQ target after 2020.
The Commission’s decision to do away with transport sector targets has had a negative effect on new projects in the advanced biofuels sector.