FP5 - NNE5-2001-00619 VIEWLS: Clear Views on Clean Fuels, Data, Potentials, Scenarios, Markets and Trade of Biofuels

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Website: www.viewls.org
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EESD (Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development) : Liquid Biofuels and Biogas

Contract No:	NNE5-2001-00619
Source:	Final Report , November 2005
Source:	EU Regulatory Framework, April 2005

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Final Report - November 2005 - Shift Gear to Biofuels - Results and recommendations from the VIEWLS project

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Available as a printed doccument from SenterNovem's Publication Centre (ref 2GAVE05.09), as a PDF (958 KB) and on a CD-ROM that contains additional material from each of the work packages.

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This 60 page report reaches the following conclusions.

The environmental performance (particularly the greenhouse gas reduction potential) of biofuels is positive and will increase in the years to come: through improvements that are specific to the fuel chain and optimising performance, and through the creation of new-generation biofuels.

The production costs of current biofuels are approaching the price level of fossil-based fuels, especially when based on biomass produced in the CEEC region, partially due to recent price increases for crude oil. The production costs of new-generation biofuels are slightly higher because, as yet, there has been no optimisation of technological development and upscaling, as well as improved corresponding lignocellulosic biomass production optimisation.

The costs of greenhouse gas reduction are clearly more favourable for new-generation biofuels, which is caused by the higher greenhouse gas savings due to the use of lignocellulose-based biomass.

Central and Eastern Europe could become the 'biofuel store' of the EU. If suitable strategic decisions are taken for the agricultural sector, sufficient agricultural areas could become available for producing biomass, without endangering the production of food crops and wood for other applications.

The available infrastructure facilities are already present to accommodate the trade in biomass and, preferably, to allow biofuel trade between Western and Eastern Europe at an acceptable price. There is still a risk of competition between biomass for electricity and heat production and biomass for the transport sector. Careful strategic alignment will be required (at both national and European levels) to ensure synergy of the development.

The elements for an efficient biofuel implementation strategy consist of:

• Further optimisation of current biofuel performance (based on plant oil and sugar/starch). Biofuels can then become 'market-proof' and biofuel manufacturers will gain insight into the market criteria necessary for future improvements.
• Long-term support for the development of thermo-chemical and enzymatic conversion routes for lignocellulosic biomass in the new generation of biofuels is required in order to achieve high greenhouse gas reduction levels and be economically attractive.
• Strategic policy activities are required in order to make suitable agricultural areas in Central and Eastern Europe available for biomass production.

Choices need to be made at European level to define the priority focus for the future development of biofuels: i) focus on the lowest possible production costs for biofuels, ii) focus on the highest possible reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, or iii) focus on the highest possible energy efficiency for the land areas available. These decisions will need to be made in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, because each alternative leads to a different mix of biomass options to be developed. The possible resulting options are:

• The continued use of current-generation biofuels: transport biofuels based on oil, sugar and starch, plus the use of cellulose-based biomass to generate electricity and heat.
• Switching over to a situation in which cellulose-based raw materials dominate the production of transport fuels and bioenergy.
• Primarily using biomass to generate electricity and heat, due to the strong focus on costeffectiveness for CO₂-eq. savings.
• Primarily using biomass in the transport sector because there are no other significant CO₂ reduction options available for this sector, and in the electricity sector where other sustainable options, other than bioenergy, are available.

The contents are as follows.

Contents

Part 1: Overall findings and recommendations

1 Introduction

1.1 Scope of the project

2 Results

2.1 Economic and environment - technical performances of biofuels
2.2 The production potential, plus intra - European trade opportunities between Eastern and Central Europe
2.3 Biofuel implementation scenarios

3 Conclusions and recommendations

Part 2: Executive summaries of the VIEWLS Work Package Results

4 Work package 1 Stakeholder analysis and involvement

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Results from the stakeholder questionnaire
4.2.1 Main conclusions regarding general information of respondents
4.2.2 Main conclusions regarding knowledge about and role of biofuels
4.2.3 Main conclusions regarding drivers and barriers
4.2.4 Main conclusions regarding biomass resource potentials
4.2.5 Main conclusions regarding information sources

5 Work package 2 Environmental and economic performance of biofuels

5.1 Overview of biofuels and resources
5.1.1 Purpose of the work
5.1.2 Methodology
5.1.3 Environmental performance
5.1.4 Economic performance
5.1.5 Greenhouse gas mitigation costs
5.1.6 Conclusions and recommendations

6 Work Package 3 Biomass production potential in Central and Eastern Europe under different scenarios

6.1 Introduction
6.2 Methodology
6.3 Results
6.3.1 Available land for energy crop production in CEEC
6.3.2 Biomass production potential in CEEC
6.3.3 Production costs
6.4 Conclusions
6.5 References

7 Work Package 4 Possibilities and performance of international biofuel trade from CEEC to WEC

7.1 Introduction
7.2 Methodology
7.3 Results
7.4 Conclusions
7.5 Reference

8 Work package 5 Biofuel and bioenergy implementation scenarios

8.1 Context and key questions
8.2 Methodology
8.3 Main results and findings
8.3.1 Biofuels for both the short and long term
8.3.2 Biomass for biofuels
8.3.3 Biomass for bioenergy
8.4 Recommendations

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Report on the legal issues regarding biofuels for transport

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Download Report (1009 KB)

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One of the main aims of the VIEWLS Project is to assist the Commission in identifying its future policies on biofuels for transport. An important aspect thereof is to determine whether or not EU and national legislations regarding this matter need to be modified.

The report contains two parts

• A protocol containing a 'Notification procedure for excise duty exemption for biofuels by Member States', supported by 'Guidelines for reporting detaxation schemes for biofuels in the transport sector' and
• An analysis of the European regulatory framework for the import and trade regulations on biofules, the impact of international trade agreements, as well as the main stakeholders within and outside the European Union and the current state of negotiations of the EU with its biofuels trade partners.

Both parts provide for an analysis of the regulatory framework, based on the European Treaties and the subsequent directives and regulations.