European Wind Power package key to shipping green fuels production - Danish Shipping
The European Wind Power package, unveiled by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, is a crucial step to scale up production of green fuels for shipping, shipowners’ association Danish Shipping says.
PHOTO: An offshore wind farm. Getty Images
The package aims to expedite wind power project permitting and enhance state-backed auction systems
“We will fast-track permitting even more. We will improve the auction systems across the EU,” von der Leyen said in her final State of Union address to the European Parliament.
It will also be focused “on skills, access to finance and stable supply chains,” she added.
“The EU’s Green Deal, with the inclusion of shipping in the EU Emissions Trading System and a framework for securing production and uptake of alternative fuels, has already been a gamechanger for the sector,” Danish Shipping’s head of EU representation Bjarne Løf Henriksen said.
Danish Shipping has raised concerns about the availability of sustainable marine fuels. It believes “a growing part of the shipping fuels will need to come from e-fuels derived from renewable electricity.”
Henriksen highlights the importance of expanding renewable energy production to facilitate the production of green hydrogen and e-fuels through Power-to-X technology.
Power-to-X is a collective term for conversion technologies that turn electricity into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.
Henriksen is of the opinion that the European Wind Power package will spur “renewed optimism in the offshore wind industry,” which holds the key to scale production of green fuels for the maritime industry.
Shipping already plays an important role in the installation, operation and service of the wind farms.
“We are committed to making global shipping climate neutral by 2050,” Henriksen concluded.
By Tuhin Roy
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