On 12 October, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) voted its Opinion on the Revision of Regulation EU 2019/1242 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles. The European Biogas Association has approved of the ITRE Committee's recognition of the need for the introduction of a Carbon Correction Factor, which contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions and climate change mitigation.
Nevertheless, the Opinion includes unjustified caps to the Carbon Correction Factor and limits CO2 neutral fuels eligible under the Carbon Correction Factor to advanced biofuels (Annex IX A) and RFNBOs only, according to the EBA.
This definition is not in line with the one adopted by the TRAN Committee nor coherent with the one included in the Renewable Energy Directive revision, it added.
A definition able to account for the contribution of renewable fuels, such as biomethane, is essential to recognise its decarbonisation impact on the transport sector, continued the trade association.
Sustainable biomethane as a transport fuel provides a ready-available, local and cost-competitive renewable alternative to conventional transport fuels, representing a key solution in the transition towards a climate-neutral economy and able even to achieve negative emissions necessary to attain the EU climate neutrality targets, the organisation went on to say.
"EU’s biogas and biomethane value chain hopes that MEPs will follow a neutral technology approach and include a sound Carbon Correction Factor and a CO2 Neutral Fuel definition in the Plenary vote, supporting the outcome of the TRAN Committee Opinion," concluded the EBA.
EBA welcomes ITRE Committee recognition of the need for a Carbon Correction Factor
