Rhine-Alpine News

11.07.2022

Assessment of the potential of sustainable fuels in transport in the context of the Ukraine/Russia crisis

Source: Trinomics (2022)

Source: Trinomics (2022)

The briefing provides the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) with an overview of the potential of sustainable fuels in transport in the context of the current Ukraine/Russia crisis. It assesses biofuel’s potential to quickly ramp up, the impact on LNG demand in the EU transport sector, and the potential use of gas pipelines repurposed for hydrogen. The Ukraine/Russia crisis is causing inflation in the global economy due to the price increases in energy, commodities and services. This is leading to major economic consequences, pointing towards a reduction in global and European economic growth. These developments are placing increased pressure on the need to reduce European reliance on fossil fuels, starting with those the EU imports from Russia, adding an energy security driver to the climate mitigation imperative. This assessment builds on these considerations to investigate whether sustainable fuels in transport can help address the Ukraine/Russia crisis and contribute to the reduction of EU dependence on fossil fuels. The focus of this analysis is biofuels, methane, and hydrogen and its derivatives. Among the key findings, the assessment says that an increased independence from Russia’s fossil fuels should rely mainly on enhanced energy efficiency, behavioural changes, electrification and the diversification of energy supply. Further, it states that due to the looming food supply crisis, using energy crops that compete with feed and food crops to produce bioethanol or biodiesel is an issue. It is more appropriate to explore the potential of waste-based resources.

Source: CAZZOLA, P, GORNER, M, GERARD, F, HOBSON, M, YOUNG, K, LEMOINE, P, MOERENHOUT, J, DE HAAS, V, 2022, Research for TRAN Committee – Assessment of the potential of sustainable fuels in transport in the context of the Ukraine/Russia crisis, European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, Brussels; Available here:https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/IDAN/2022/699650/IPOL_IDA(2022)699650_EN.pdf

Comparison of state investments per capita in rail infrastructure

Source: Allianz pro Schiene (07/2022)

Source: Allianz pro Schiene (07/2022)

Every year, the German non-profit organisation Allianz pro Schiene together with the consultancy SCI Verkehr analyses how much money selected European countries are investing per capita in rail infrastructure. The leaders in 2021 were Luxembourg with 607 euros per inhabitant and Switzerland with 413 euros. Germany is lagging behind Great Britain (158 euros), Denmark (157 euros) and the Netherlands (147 euros) in one of the bottom places directly ahead of Italy (103 euros). Germany is investing more in rail infrastructure than ever before, but remains at the bottom in an international comparison, the study states.

Source (in German): https://www.allianz-pro-schiene.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/deutschland-bei-schieneninvestitionen-weiter-abgehaengt/

Ports of Genoa: Traffic volumes return to pre-Covid levels

Source: Ports of Genoa

Source: Ports of Genoa

Cargo throughput from January to May returns to pre-Covid levels. In 2022 total tonnage handled by the Ports of Genoa and Savona-Vado rose to 28,361,863 t., a +9.8% increase on 2021 and in line with 2019 volumes. The upward trend continues across all commodity sectors, in comparison with the corresponding 5-month period of both 2019 and 2021: containerised cargo rose to approximately 11.5 million t. (+6.2% vs. 2021 and +8.9% vs. 2019), conventional traffic reached 5.8 million t. (+5.3% on 2021 and +0.8% on 2019) and mineral oils peaked to 8.4 million t., a +20.2% advance on 2021 and in line with 2019 levels (-1.2%). The ferry ports of Genoa and Savona-Vado reported 122,166 passengers in May (+130.5% on 2021), with a +7.4% advance on the corresponding period of 2019, confirming a strong recovery and an overall return to pre-pandemic volumes. It is important to note that although current cruise passenger traffic is still lagging far behind pre-Covid levels, May 2022 registered over 100,000 passengers, a +251.5% rise month-to-month, and an increase in ship calls (44 vs. 52 in 2019).

Source: https://www.portsofgenoa.com/en/news-media-en/news-en/4066-port-traffic-may-2022.html

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