"Carbon Neutrality for Aircraft and Ships in Europe to Be Promoted Mainly with Synthetic Fuels"

Power plant in Seo-gu area viewed from Gyeongin Ara Waterway, Seo-gu, Incheon City

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] An analysis has emerged suggesting that e-fuel (E-Fuel) is likely to be widely used in achieving carbon neutrality for aircraft and ships in Europe. E-fuel is a fuel made from green hydrogen, which emits no carbon during its manufacturing process, and carbon dioxide captured from the air. In Europe, authorities are currently verifying whether it meets carbon neutrality standards and are establishing specific criteria.

According to an industrial trend report released on the 29th by Senior Researcher Lee Seo-hyun of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, the method for evaluating carbon dioxide emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles using synthetic fuels like e-fuel is expected to be finalized in 2025. E-fuel is considered a practical alternative as a representative synthetic fuel that can be utilized within existing internal combustion engine infrastructure.

Germany believes that using synthetic fuels can enable internal combustion engine vehicles to achieve carbon neutrality. They argue that a blanket ban on the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles without considering this is inappropriate. Reflecting some of Germany’s stance, the EU Commission has decided to assess the contribution of synthetic fuels to carbon neutrality in its mid-term report on the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the road sector, scheduled for publication in 2025.

Senior Researcher Lee explained, "According to the draft of the second revision of the EU Renewable Energy Directive, the EU appears to have judged that there are limitations to achieving overall carbon neutrality for internal combustion engine vehicles through synthetic fuels." She added, "The draft specifies the use of synthetic fuels for sectors where decarbonization is difficult, such as aircraft and ships, but does not include automobiles."

The second revision draft expands the mandatory use of non-bio renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) compared to before. While the importance of carbon dioxide capture technology has increased, it is estimated that the necessity for research on synthetic fuel use in automobiles has decreased. Senior Researcher Lee said, "The next three years will be a decisive period for the EU’s policy on synthetic fuels. Although there is some possibility that the EU will partially recognize the carbon dioxide emission reduction effects of internal combustion engine vehicles, mass production in the short term will be difficult."

Considering that Korea’s industrial structure makes achieving carbon neutrality challenging, she emphasized the need to pursue concrete and feasible plans. The researcher stated, "As the obligation to use renewable energy fuels is expected to be strengthened, investment in carbon dioxide capture technology is necessary. Since synthetic fuels will play a central role in achieving carbon neutrality for aircraft and ships, support for this is also required."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.