Green fuel, a real industry is emerging in Europe but Italy has no plans
There are currently 61 plans to produce e-fuel, of which 17 are for the maritime sector. Denmark and Spain are the countries with the most advanced projects. Uk and Greece lag behind
3' min read
3' min read
As of early 2024, 61 green fuel (e-fuel) projects are being developed in Europe, 17 of which are specifically dedicated to the maritime sector. In Italy, none. This is the bleak result of mapping carried out by Transport & environment (T&e), the leading independent environmental organisation in the transport sector.
The analysis shows that, should all 17 projects dedicated to shipping mature into operation, the total production capacity in the EU could reach 1.06 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) by 2030 and, by then, 3.76% of the total fuel demand of European shipping (28.2 Mtoe) could be covered by green fuels. This would not only start the process of decarbonising the sector, but also create jobs. In fact, T&;e estimates that, globally, the energy transition of shipping could generate around 4 million new jobs by 2050.
"The transition of the maritime sector towards climate-neutral fuels," says Carlo Tritto, policy officer for T&e Italy, "will offer great industrial, economic and employment opportunities. This is precisely why it is worrying to have to note Italy's absence at the call for the development of a new industry, which promises to take hold in many European states. Our country does not seem to fully understand the role that these fuels will play. This is clearly seen in the Pniec (National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan) proposal circulated so far, where the national volumes of e-fuel consumption, from now until 2030, are planned to be 93% for road transport, while just 7% is reserved for the hard-to-abate sectors, such as aviation and, indeed, maritime.
Analysing the report's data, however, it can be seen that even in Europe, even with projects in the pipeline, the issue of green fuel production still presents complexities. As mentioned above, there are at least 17 EU projects aimed at producing synthetic, green hydrogen-based fuels for use in shipping by 2024. To date, however, says T&, only six projects are sure to receive the necessary funding for production: two-thirds are still awaiting a decision. Then there are a further 44 projects that could also supply hydrogen to the maritime sector, bringing the total number of projects mapped to 61. But their eventual production, the report points out, 'could be competed for by other hydrogen-hungry industries'.
If all projects reached the production stage, the study says, 'the target introduced by the FuelEu Maritime, the EU regulation defining the minimum share of green fuels to be used in the sector, equal to 2% by 2034, would be easily achieved. However,' notes T&e, 'most of the projects have yet to receive funding and none', among those for the maritime sector, 'is currently operational. The e-fuel producers identify, as the main obstacles, the risk of too low demand (the ability of the maritime sector to absorb future production is therefore in doubt, ndr) and the uncertainties caused by a regulatory framework that does not clearly guide the sector's energy future on a global level".
