Independent journal on economy and transport policy
06:31 GMT+1
This page has been automatically translated by Original news
TRANSPORTATION
T&E, the Italian government's strategy for the decarbonisation of transport is wrong
Tritto: "Italy's climate plan is full of inconsistencies."
Bruxelles
December 15, 2023
Transport & Environment (T&E), the organisation does not
European Governmental Initiative promoting the reduction of emissions
pollutants produced by the transport sector, rejected the Plan
National Integrated Energy and Climate Initiative (PNIEC) presented
by the Italian government led by Giorgia Meloni and elaborated by the
Ministries of Economic Development, Environment and
Infrastructure and Transport, noting that Italy lacks a
effective strategy to evolve towards a green transport sector.
With regard to the decarbonisation of the transport sector,
T&E's analysis notes that, as it has been,
planned by the Italian government, is largely based on
energy inefficients: by 2030 - explains T&E - almost two
thirds of total 'renewable' energy in transport
will have to be provided by bioenergy, but such a use of
massive biofuel emissions expose Italy to dependence on
from the import of raw materials, which today guarantees 94% of the total
of the raw materials used in Italy, and potential fraud over the long
supply chains. According to Transport &
Environment, the significant expected use of biofuel is
particularly problematic in relation to road transport,
for which the organization believes that electrification is the
a more mature and less emissive solution through which
reduce primary energy demand at the same time, and
air pollution.
T&E also notes that in Italy it is expected that
e-fuels are not allocated to hard-to-abate transport sectors, but
modes of transport in which the use of fuels
is less appropriate: T&E's analysis notes that
93% of the e-fuels envisaged by the Italian PNIEC will be
"wasted" for land transport mobility
cars, buses, trucks and trains, when their use
Instead, it should be used for air transport and
sectors that are much more difficult to electrify and
where synthetic fuels offer the most
promising for their decarbonisation. The analysis denounces that
There are only 29 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent in
RFNBO that the Plan provides for aircraft and ships, a value reputed to be
insufficient to meet the minimum requirements set by law
on green fuels for aviation and transport
maritime. According to T&E, it would be necessary to increase the quota
RFNBO at 2% (with the application of multipliers) and
decarbonise aviation and transport
not road transport, and also ensure that
RFNBOs account for 1.2% of transport energy
as recommended by the European RED III Directive (with
the application of multipliers).
T&E's analysis highlights the inefficiency of the use of
synthetic fuels to power cars, which is
demonstrated, the document explains, by the fact that if half of the
of the cars were powered by e-diesel and half by e-petrol,
By 2050, these would consume four times as much renewable energy
battery-powered cars, while air and sea transport
and industry would make more efficient use of
hydrogen, e-petrol, e-diesel and other synthetic fuels.
Referring specifically to the Italian PNIEC, the analysis denounces
whereas, 'given the challenge of decarbonising transport
air and sea and their relevance for the Peninsula, is
It is surprising that Italy has not adopted national strategies to
these two sectors. In the absence of the latter, T&E complains
the Plan contains only scattered measures to reduce consumption
and their climate impact'.
Recalling that the Italian Plan "aims to electrify the
ports (e.g. around €700 million in investments in cold
are provided by a national fund - Supplementary Fund -
which complements the National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and to provide
clean fuels to maritime transport', the analysis notes
that "to support this effort, the government could consider
to: adopt a strategy for the decarbonisation of the sector, with
zero issuance date for all shipping routes and
phase-out of emissions in ports; all vessels at berth or in
manoeuvres in Italian ports should be zero-emission by
2035." In addition, for T&E researchers, Italy
should "stop supporting LNG, biogas and
biomethane for ships and align excise duty with energy content
fuel; aim for a supply of electricity to all
types of ships at berth and in all ports by 2030 (not
only to passenger ships and container ships as per AFIR)'.
"The Italian climate plan," said Carlo Tritto,
policy officer of T&E Italy - is full of inconsistencies:
assigns the different energy carriers to the modes of
transport by derogating from the criteria of efficiency and sustainability.
Use the most efficient energy carrier for each
mode of transport means maximising the reduction of
emissions, even with scarce energy resources
disposal; On the contrary, the translation of what our
government claims as a "neutrality" approach
technological "reveals itself as a programming of the whole
ineffective. The government should update the plan to focus on
on the electrification of cars and trucks, reserving the limited volumes
alternative fuels for aircraft and ships, where the abatement of
emissions is a much more difficult challenge."
"Italy," Tritto added, "can still
Fix flaws and inconsistencies before submitting the version
of its PNIEC. It is true that the transport sector
on the road is highly responsible for emissions, but it is
also the one with the most decarbonization potential
when compared to sea or air. That's why it's
Reducing the role of biofuels: why
To remain anchored to this inefficient solution is constrained to years of
Imports of potentially fraudulent raw materials from abroad
or at risk of deforestation, gives confusing and
counterproductive to a car industry in crisis and in
Delay in the race towards electrification. And most importantly,
condemns the country to miss its climate targets."
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
phone: +39.010.2462122, fax: +39.010.2516768, e-mail
VAT number: 03532950106
Press Reg.: nr 33/96 Genoa Court
Editor in chief: Bruno Bellio No part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher