What the revised Renewable Energy Directive agreement means for EU ethanol

ePURE, the European renewable ethanol association, released the following statement reacting to the agreement between EU institutions on revision of the Renewable Energy Directive II:

"Today’s agreement reaffirms an important role for domestically produced renewable ethanol in Europe’s all-important effort to de-fossilise transport. Even with restrictions on how much crop-based biofuel can be counted towards Member States’ renewable-energy targets, the revised RED still leaves room for renewable ethanol to displace fossil petrol in the petrol and hybrid cars Europeans are still buying and will be driving for a long time to come. At the same time, more European countries are gradually adopting the E10 fuel standard to allow renewable ethanol to make an immediate, cost-effective, sustainable and socially inclusive impact on reducing GHG emissions.

"Under this revised RED, EU ethanol biorefineries – producing not just renewable fuel to replace fossil petrol but at the same time vegetable protein for food and feed, and bioegenic CO₂ for beverage and greenhouse applications – will continue to contribute to Europe’s energy independence and food security."