eFuels and aviation

The ReFuelEU Aviation regulation represents a major opportunity to defossilize aviation. It requires jet fuel suppliers at the current 500 airports in the EU to guarantee a blending of at least 2% sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) in 2025, which are defined in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) as advanced biofuels from wastes and residues. In 2030, the quota increases to 6% and includes a sub-quota for synthetic fuels, also known as eFuels, of 1.2%. The quota increases further to 70% SAFs, with a minimum of 35% eFuels, in 2050.

Keyarguments

The eFuel Alliance welcomes the proposed ReFuelEU Aviation regulation as a key step towards decarbonising aviation and as an important tool to support the necessary market introduction of synthetic fuels and to stimulate further investments in renewable fuels. However, the quotas proposed within the regulation are not additional quantities of renewable fuels that must be introduced into the aviation fuel market on top of those targets set out in the RED. As a consequence, existing renewable fuels would be shifted from road transport to aviation, which, from a holistic point of view, would not lead to any further reduction of GHG emissions and a huge CO₂ reduction potential would remain untapped. Higher quotas already set by several Member States and airlines show that more ambitious quotas in the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation are possible and necessary to achieve climate neutrality in aviation by 2050. Furthermore, it is important to note that aviation is a globally operating sector and its competitiveness must be maintained on an international level.

Our demands

Firstly, the quotas for SAF and eFuels in ReFuelEU Aviation should only apply to fuel volumes that are supplied to the aviation fuel market in addition to the existing RED quotas.
Second, the proposed quotas should be increased.
In addition, support mechanisms must be in place to ensure global competitiveness and avoid carbon leakage.