Ireland’s new renewable transport-fuel policy to underpin shift to B12 by 2025, B20 by 2030

Ireland’s transport minister Eamon Ryan announced June 28 the publication of the Renewable Transport Fuel Policy 2023-2025.

This latest iteration of the policy sets out updated rates for renewable transport fuels over the next two years and outlines the steps that have to be taken to achieve these proposed rates, in line with European requirements and national climate-action objectives.

In doing so, it also provides policy certainty for relevant economic operators and stakeholders, for example fossil-fuel suppliers and producers and suppliers of renewable transport fuels, who are key to the delivery of emission-reduction targets in the transport sector.

The policy will underpin the shift to the Climate Action Plan 2023 biofuel targets of at least B20 (biodiesel equivalent) in diesel and E10 (ethanol) in petrol by 2030 (with an interim B12/E10 by 2025 target).

Modelling analysis projects a saving of 1.08 MtCO2eq by 2030 from this biofuel target.

The move to E10 in petrol is already well underway and will take effect July 1. This follows a consultative process and an extensive public-awareness campaign.

Other targets will be progressed in the coming years.

“The Renewable Transport Fuel Policy continues to be an important part of our transition to a more sustainable transport sector,” Ryan said. “While our emphasis continues to be increasing public and active travel as well as encouraging the shift to EVs, the reality is that ICE vehicles will continue to be part of our transport mix for the foreseeable future. This new policy helps reduce the polluting impact of petrol and diesel and provides more certainty to those involved in the production, distribution and use of biofuels, biogas and advanced renewables.”

To achieve a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions in the transport sector by 2030, the Climate Action Plan, in addition to measures for increasing sustainable mobility, public and active travel, and electrification of road transport, increased biofuels in transport as a transition measure will contribute 13.7 percent of transport-sector decarbonization by 2030.

81.1 million gallons of liquid biofuels were placed on the Irish market in 2022, which was an increase from 65 million gallons of liquid biofuels in 2021.