EU publishes renewables, SAF blending mandates laws

The EU today published laws establishing blending mandates for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), obliging EU states to bring national legislation in line with a revised renewables directive by 21 May 2025. Aviation blending mandates will begin from 2025 with a minimum share of 2pc of SAFs.

The revised renewables directive sets an overarching EU-level target share for renewable energy in final energy consumption of "at least" 42.5pc by 2030. It also stipulates that EU states shall "collectively" endeavour to increase renewables to 45pc by 2030 as well as strive to reach an installation rate of at least 5pc for innovative not fully commercialised renewable energy technology by 2030

EU states must also increase their renewables share to 29pc of road transport energy or reduce the sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity by at least 14.5pc by 2030, compared with a baseline using a fossil fuel comparator of 94g CO2eq/MJ.

The SAF regulation sets out annual SAF mandate shares that rise to 2pc of an operator's aircraft fuels from reporting year 2025. They then rise to 6pc from 1 January 2030, 20pc from 1 January 2035, with a minimum share of 5pc of synthetic aviation fuels. The law defines synthetic aviation fuels as certified renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) that includes renewable hydrogen and derivatives such as e-methanol, e-ammonia and e-kerosene.

From 1 January 2040, the regulation sets a minimum share of 34pc of SAF, with a minimum share of 10pc of synthetic aviation fuels, and at least 42pc SAFs from 1 January 2045, with at least 15pc synthetic aviation fuels. From 1 January 2050, the minimum SAF share is 70pc, of which a minimum 35pc should be synthetic aviation fuels.

Yearly reporting obligations, starting by 31 March 2025, require aircraft operators to report details such as flights, flight hours, total amount of aviation fuel uplifted at each EU airport, annual aviation fuel required, per EU airport, total amounts of SAF purchased from aviation fuel suppliers.

For each SAF purchase, the aviation fuel suppliers, the amounts purchased, the conversion process and the characteristics and origin of feedstocks used for production also need to be reported as well as lifecycle emissions of the biojet. While allowing for certified aviation biofuels meeting sustainability and lifecycle emissions criteria, the SAF regulation excludes biofuels produced from food and feed crops, intermediate crops, palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), palm, soy-derived materials, soap stock and its derivatives.

The European parliament and EU states formally adopted and agreed the renewables directive and SAF regulation earlier in the year.

By Dafydd ab Iago