Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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73. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures that he will take to reduce emissions from motor fuels; if he intends to increase the ethanol blend of petrol from 5% to 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28379/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy Statement signals a switch from the current bioethanol blend in petrol from 5% to 10% in petrol by 2023, subject to supporting legislation. This will achieve the Climate Action Plan’s commitment to increase the level of bioethanol blended into petrol in advance of the target date set out in that strategy. This would also be in step with the change in place in 2021 in the UK and planned for Northern Ireland.

The Minister for Transport published the Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy Statement in November 2021. The Statement sets out a roadmap for the supply and use of renewable energy in transport to address Ireland’s national commitments under the Climate Action Plan 2021 and European obligations under the Renewable Energy Directive. It supports the actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in transport and increase the share of renewable fuels in the national Climate Action Plan 2021 and our international obligations, including the EU Renewable Energy Directive.

The use of biofuels is currently one of the main pillars of land transport decarbonisation. Since 2010, increasing volumes of biofuels have been introduced to Ireland’s transport fuel supply through a biofuel blending obligation on fuel suppliers.

The obligation ensures that a certain percentage (currently 13% by volume) of the motor fuel placed on the market comes from renewable sources, for example bioethanol and biodiesel. In 2020 alone, 239 million litres of biofuels replaced about 209 million litres of fossil fuels, avoiding approximately 520 Kilo tonnes CO2 equivalent. GHG emissions.

Biofuels will remain a core transitional measure for medium-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in road transport. This is particularly so for hard to abate sectors such as heavy-duty vehicles, where alternative transport energy and technology are at early and varying stages of development. However, concerns exist regarding the source, production, traceability and sustainability of the feedstocks for biofuels. The Department of Transport is currently carrying out a study on the sustainability and availability of bio- and renewable fuels supply and demand in transport. This study will help to inform the development of the Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy over the coming years, with due regard to the ambitious domestic targets for renewable fuels in the Climate Action Plan and proposed future European obligations for renewable fuels.

The Climate Action Plan states that Government will “Carry out a review of the supply of renewable transport fuels in Ireland, such as biofuels, advanced biofuels, e-fuels, synthetic fuels, green hydrogen, and biogas.”As a key step to deliver this action, the Department of Transport is progressing a study reviewing the profile, sustainability, and supply of renewable transport fuels in Ireland, such as biofuels, advanced biofuels, e-fuels, synthetic fuels, biogas, and green hydrogen. This work is being carried out under DECC’s Climate Action Modelling Group (CAMG) with additional input from NORA and will be delivered this year.

The Policy proposes measures to achieve higher rates of biofuel blending in transport fuel supply annually to achieve the Climate Action Plan target of 10% bioethanol in petrol and 20% biodiesel in diesel by 2030. The policy statement sets out that, to achieve this Climate Action Plan 2021 target for biofuel blending, indicative increases of a further 3% increase in the obligation will be put in place in 2024 and 4% in 2025. Further consideration of the indicative trajectory from 2025 to 2030 will give due regard to domestic obligations and the European Union’s Fit for 55 package of climate measures.

In addition, the Renewable Fuel for Transport Policy aims to further incentivise the supply of advanced renewable fuels such as biomethane and green hydrogen. Further, as part of the suite of policy measures set out in the Renewable Fuels for Transport Policy Statement, from 2023 and subject to legislation, an advanced biofuel obligation will be put in place as part of the overall renewable fuels for transport obligation.

This will require obligated parties to place a proportion of advanced biofuels that are produced from waste materials specified by the European Commission within the recast Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) on the market as part of their overall blending obligation. From 2023, the advanced biofuel obligation rate will be an indicative of 0.3% by energy and the indicative trajectory of increase for the advanced biofuel obligation will increase out to 2030. Stakeholder views on the rate of this trajectory were sought as part of the recent public consultation on the renewable fuels for transport policy and these views are currently being considered by my Department as part of the ongoing analysis of submissions received.

The renewable fuels for transport policy has been subject to stakeholder engagement and consultation throughout 2022. This will, in conjunction with the current research on the sustainability and availability of renewable transport fuels, help to inform the next iteration of the policy which will be published in 2023.