European Biodiesel Board welcomes addition of new feedstocks in revised RED annex

The European Biodiesel Board welcomed the addition of several new feedstocks in the revised Annex IX to the Renewable Energy Directive adopted by the European Commission.

Further clarifications on the definitions of the newly added feedstocks are still needed prior to implementation.

“The EBB, with its comprehensive sectoral knowledge, is looking forward to contributing its expertise to the commission on this subject and other relevant issues,” the organization stated.

The European Commission adopted the long-anticipated Delegated Act revising the Annex IX to the RED on March 14.

The text significantly increases the number of feedstocks in the annex, which is a crucial step to meet the EU’s ambition to integrate renewable energy in the transport sector and contribute to its decarbonization.

In particular, the EBB welcomed the inclusion of:

• Intermediate crops such as catch crops and cover crops.

• Crops grown on severely degraded land.

A comprehensive definition of both these feedstocks will be crucial to enable their correct verification and certification.

“The division in the regulatory treatment of the same feedstocks, based on their final fuel use (Part A for aviation and Part B for all other transport modes), diverges from the principles of technology neutrality and a level playing field,” EBB stated.

To avoid unintended consequences stemming from this, EBB said the European biodiesel industry will be seeking clear and detailed definitions of those new feedstocks to ensure correct implementation and traceability governance.

Looking towards the future, to boost investments in the sector, EBB said the logical next step would be to revise the limit for the contribution of waste biofuels to the RED transport target (Annex IX, Part B), taking into account the addition of feedstocks.

“The expansion of the list of feedstocks in Annex IX is of paramount importance and is a welcome development as it will give the biofuel sector the regulatory framework to make the crucial investments needed to further decarbonize transport,” said EBB President Dickon Posnett. “While the commission’s choice to treat the same feedstocks differently based on the final fuel use goes against fundamental principles that EBB stands for and will introduce complexity, we remain very clear on our support for the expansion of the biofuels’ feedstock base. Furthermore, the EBB is ready to offer our expertise and contribute however we can to the legislators’ work on implementing the act as soon as possible and ensuring it is fit for purpose.”