Shipping to Pau
Harris Floudopoulos
Pau is a city in southwestern France, at the foot of the Pyrenees, known to the general public for two reasons: the Ortez basketball team that sprang up in the 80s and 90s and the famous Grand Prix, which has been held since 1933 and includes in the FIA ​​calendar for tourist cars, ie production cars.
This year, in addition to the main Grand Prix, in the French city this year was organized the 3-day “green Grand Prix” during which 6 different races of vehicles powered by low or zero carbon, hydrogen and electricity were held.
Why in Pau? There the mayor of the city, a politician from the central political scene as a former MEP and former candidate for president, Francois Bayrou, has led his city to the forefront of the energy transition: in addition to the other green innovations of the city , such as the network of 8 hydrogen-powered buses, Pau is leading the region’s regional initiative to build a strong industrial ecosystem in the region with the aim of developing innovative technologies (eg hydrogen, CCU) and moving towards climate neutrality by 2040.
The green Pau Grand Prix, held from 6 to 8 May, had as its central message that “transport carbonation needs the combined contribution of all low-carbon technologies, such as electric, hydrogen and renewable and low-carbon fuels. “.
High Level Forum on the transitions of Mobility
In parallel with the Grand Prix in Pau, a forum was organized on the subject of the transition to mobility, with the participation of the fuel industry, representatives of the Commission, the French Government and the scientific community.
During the conference, the institutional body of the fuel companies, the organization Fuels Europe, raised a series of institutional issues related to the energy transition of the transport sector, presenting the industry proposal for a parallel complementary alternative to electric propulsion, the so-called synthetic fuels (efuels). ) which can be another vehicle for achieving the goal of zero emissions in the transport sector.
What are efuels?
Green fuels are low-carbon, non-petroleum liquid fuels. They have zero or limited carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during production and use compared to fossil fuels.
Their production is as follows: to create hydrocarbons, hydrogen is produced from 100% RES units. At the same time, Carbon Capture units collect carbon dioxide, which is then used together with hydrogen to produce synthetic hydrocarbons.
Today, synthetic fuels are increasingly being mixed with fossil fuels. The carbon intensity of the fuel depends on the share of green fuel mixed in the final product.
When green fuels completely replace the mineral components in the fuels sold in the pump, the liquid fuels will be climate neutral.
It is underlined that the production of synthetic hydrocarbons requires additional investments from the refining industry for the creation of substantially new special refineries, which in their operation will use energy from RES in order to have the imprint of the produced fuels to be zero.
These synthetic fuels can be used by the existing conventional fleet of vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Combustion of synthetic fuels releases into the atmosphere an amount of CO2 equal to the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere during the synthetic fuel production process.
In practice, in their cycle, synthetic fuels show zero carbon emissions, while they have the advantage that they do not require the significant investment required to buy an expensive electric car along with the charging equipment.
Today they are used in the EU. for transport of 350 million tonnes of fuel. By 2050, 160 million tonnes of efuels could be produced to cover the entire demand for liquid fuels as the expansion of electric propulsion will reduce the fleet of internal combustion vehicles.
From the industry side, investments of 650 billion euros are required to get there. “We are not arguing against electric cars, we are just saying that they are part of the solution, not the only and exclusive solution,” said Fuels Europe CEO John Cooper, who spoke to Greek journalists on the sidelines of the Pau Grand Prix.
What the fuel industry is asking for is for the EU to exist. the appropriate institutional framework that, if it does not provide incentives, at least will not prohibit the use of liquid fuels.
“We call for support for the use of liquid renewable fuels after 2035 (the time limit set by the EU for the ban on internal combustion engines) as there is a risk of creating a gap, a two-speed development between the rich western and poor Central and Eastern European countries.
“There is a risk of excluding a part of the population from mobility by banning internal combustion engines,” Cooper said.
According to Fuels Europe, fossil fuels should be institutionally banned and not the technology of internal combustion engines should be banned, given that there is a possibility for 100% renewable fuels, which, however, can not be produced by industry if not are there cars with internal combustion engines in the EU?
As Mr Cooper notes:
There is an alternative to electrification, which is not a one-way street for energy transition.
Synthetic fuels are in any case to be allowed for aviation and navigation so they can be extended to other transport
At the institutional level, liquid fuels should not be banned but, on the contrary, incentives should be given for synthetic renewable fuels.
In terms of challenges it is clear that in terms of CO2 emissions are zero in the life cycle of synthetic fuels, while for emissions of other pollutants (NOX, particles, etc.) the progress of technology is such that it has led already in their practical zero (Euro 6 technology).
ELPE participates in the initiative
From the Greek side, the Hellenic Petroleum group actively participates in the green Grand Prix and the initiatives of Fuels Europe in the context of the firm commitment on the issue of energy transition.
It is noted that the ELPE group, which formulates its investment strategy and examines the projects that will be implemented in 2030, evaluates the multiple opportunities related to the transition to green fuels and the diversification of the company’s energy portfolio.
In fact, in the context of the Vision 2025 program, the group is examining, if finally there is an EU response. at the request of Fuels Europe, to proceed with the necessary investments so that it can produce new generation green synthetic fuels that will replace fossil fuels after 2035.
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
