EU adopts SAF targets law

The European Parliament today formally adopted a regulation setting out targets for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use at EU airports.

The regulation says 70pc of jet fuel use at EU airports will have to be renewable or carbon neutral by 2050 from 1 January 2024, with certain provisions starting a year later.

Agreement with EU states was reached in April, but further procedural approval was held up by a number of countries, including France, that had wanted hydrogen produced from nuclear power to be considered a renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO).

Once formally approved by EU ministers, the EU law will establish an initial target for 2pc of aviation fuel being sustainable as of 2025. The share increases every five years — to 6pc in 2030, 20pc in 2035, 34pc in 2040, 42pc in 2045 and 70pc in 2050.

The law also requires synthetic aviation fuels, such as e-kerosene and RFNBOs such as renewable hydrogen, to constitute a 1.2pc share of consumption in 2030, 2pc in 2032, 5pc in 2035 and 35pc in 2050.

SAFs are legally defined as including synthetic fuels, non-crop based biofuels produced from agricultural or forestry residues, algae and bio-waste. Used cooking oil (Uco) and certain animal fats are also permitted. The EU will treat recycled jet fuels produced from waste gases and waste plastic as sustainable.

"We hope that by creating demand, we will create supply," said EU transport commissioner Adina-Ioana Valean. The chair of parliament's transport committee Karima Delli said the EU is setting a roadmap to decarbonise aviation by 2050 and exit dependence on kerosene. Delli said further legislation will come.

"We'll have to cut the number of flights, to ensure domestic air connections under four hours are replaced by trains, relaunch night trains," Delli said.

By Dafydd ab Iago