Strengere Kraftstoffstandards für Ölindustrie

The European Petroleum Industry Association (Europia) stressed the inconsistency between promoting higher quality fuels and biofuels on the one hand and the introduction of a life-cycle approach on the other, saying that such an approach would put highly-upgraded refineries, capable of more complex conversion techniques, at a disadvantage because they are often more energy-intensive, and that this would ultimately create a "perverse incentive" for the incomplete and inefficient conversion of crude oil. 

It called for the reduction target to be deferred until an appropriate methodology for calculating full-cycle greenhouse gas emissions is established. This methodology should "resolve the potential overlap with the ETS and assess the feasibility of a reduction target in line with the upcoming Renewables Directive as well as business, economic and social impacts," it said. 

Inland Navigation Europe (INE), an association that aims to promote freight traffic on the inland waterway network, agreed with MEPs that sulphur levels for barges should be cut to 10 mg/kg as soon as 2010. According to INE, delaying the introduction of stricter sulphur limits would only serve to "significantly delay the replacement of older engines by more energy-efficient ones, because these newer engines cannot run on 300ppm fuel". 

This would also be detrimental to shipowners that have already replaced their engines because no ultra-low sulphur fuel would be made commonly available on the market. 

It adds: "Last but not least, the Commission proposes 300ppm fuel only for inland waterways, while road transport and non-road machinery will use 10ppm fuel. The additional costs of producing and supplying a separate type of fuel only for inland waterway transport will undoubtedly be passed on to the users, while most inland ship engines can run without major complications on 10ppm fuel." 

Dutch Socialist MEP and rapporteur on the directive Dorette Corbey said the vote was a "victory" in the fight against climate change that would "encourage both hydrogen vehicles and electrically-fuelled vehicles" and "create an incentive for scandal-free biofuels".

Luxembourg Green MEP Claude Turmes said the life-cycle approach would "provide a real incentive for the oil industry to reduce the environmental damage it causes […] by improving its production processes, such as through reducing flaring and improving the efficiency of refineries. At the same, it discourages investment in dirty fuels, like non-conventional oil, such as tar sand or coal to liquid." 

He believes that the introduction of strict sustainability criteria for agro-fuels would ensure that fuels used towards the achievement of the reductions target "do not have major negative side affects". He added: "It is important to recognise the environmental and social problems caused by some agro-fuels - such as on food security, deforestation, soil degradation etc. - and ensure that the EU does not rush blindly down this avenue." 

However, over 20 environmental NGOs joined forces to insist that these types of agro-fuels be completely excluded from the 10% reduction target. "CO2 reduction of fuels should be delivered exclusively by the oil industry itself, not by blending agrofuels," they insisted. 

"Allowing agrofuels to make up for the fossil fuel industry's failure to cut emissions creates great uncertainty about the quantity of agrofuel imports necessary to fulfil the target. As it currently stands, the proposed directive could lead to a massive increase in agrofuel use in the EU which raises serious environmental, social and, perversely, climate concerns, particularly in developing countries which may end up having to supply such quantities of fuel," they stressed. 

With this in mind, they also asked that proposals to allow higher volumes of biofuels such as ethanol to be used in petrol should be scrapped.

The NGOs further point out that the oil industry is capable of achieving the 10% CO2 reduction by 2020 "solely through measures such as reducing gas flaring, improving energy efficiency in refineries and investing in co-generation".