A provisional agreement by the European Union (EU) on the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) included a 5.5% target for advanced biofuels, the European Commission (EC) announced on 30 March.
The proposed agreement set a combined sub-target for advanced biofuels (generally derived from non-food based feedstocks) and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (mostly derived from renewable hydrogen and hydrogen-based synthetic fuels) in the share of renewable energies supplied to the transport sector in 2030. This includes a minimum level of 1% for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs).
“The revision of RED is one of the ‘Fit for 55’ proposals presented by the Commission in July 2021 to make the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels,” the EC said.
“Ramping up our production and use of renewable energy is also a key pillar of the REPowerEU Plan, the EU’s strategy to get rid of Russian fossil fuel imports as soon as possible.”
Overall, the proposed agreement would raise the EU’s binding renewable target for 2030 to a minimum of 42.5%, up from the current 32% target and almost doubling the existing share of renewable energy in the EU, the report said.
Legislators also agreed that the EU would aim to reach 45% of renewables by 2030.
“The provisional agreement now requires formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council. Once this process is completed, the new legislation will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and enter into force,” the EC said.
