Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the report on the study commissioned his Department on the inclusion of electrification in the renewable transport fuel obligation.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Last year the Department commissioned independent research into potential regulation-based options that may be required to support the continued rollout of public electric vehicle chargepoints from mid-2020s, including their opportunities, risks and likely impact. This research is still in progress.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to reduce emissions from construction vehicles.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government has made available funding to support the development of low and zero carbon technologies with relevance to construction vehicles, including through the Advanced Propulsion Centre and the Red Diesel Replacement Competition. The use of renewable fuels in construction vehicles is also encouraged through the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. Government has committed to publishing a decarbonisation strategy for Non-Road Mobile Machinery which includes construction vehicles intended for use on site, with a Call for Evidence on decarbonisation options to be issued shortly.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the use of (a) low carbon and (b) synthetic fuels for L-Category vehicles in the transition to net zero.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The consultation on when to end the sale of new non-zero emission L-category vehicles was open to responses from 14 July to 21 September 2022 and was supported by a thorough programme of stakeholder engagement. We are now analysing the responses and will bring forward the Government’s response in due course.
The Government’s approach to delivering its ambitions for greener transport is not outcome neutral - the end goal must be zero exhaust emissions. Vehicles that burn synthetic fuels still emit air pollutants at the exhaust. However, the Government understands the need to decarbonise vehicles on the road today and the potential contribution synthetic fuels can make. This is why the Government has increased targets for the supply of low carbon fuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) and will continue to review that scheme to ensure that it can continue to support delivery of its carbon budgets.
Synthetics and other alternative fuels can be expensive, energy intensive to produce and do not always improve air quality. They show greatest potential in areas that are difficult to electrify, such as aviation. Relying on synthetic fuels to decarbonise road transport would put the UK at risk of failing to meet its economy wide targets on both CO2 and air pollution emissions.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the comparative potential merits of different sustainable air fuels in the context of variation of lifecycle emissions within fuels denoted as the same type.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be easily blended with conventional jet fuel and then used in existing aircraft and engines. We recognise that SAF can be made from different low carbon feedstocks and technology pathways, and that the detail of these impact the lifecycle emission savings from the fuel. When using sustainable feedstocks, such as wastes or renewable electricity, to produce SAF, its use can reduce carbon emissions by 70% compared to conventional jet fuel.
The SAF mandate, which will mandate jet fuel suppliers to supply increasing levels of SAF in the UK, will start in 2025. As a greenhouse gas (GHG) based scheme, it will encourage suppliers to source SAF that achieves the greatest emission reductions. It will also require the supplied SAF to meet a minimum emission reduction threshold, further strengthening our intention to support SAF that meets the highest sustainability criteria.
In 2022, under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO) 48 million litres of SAF were supplied in the UK, with a reported average of 90% emission reductions. We expect the SAF mandate to build upon these volumes and increase the demand for SAF in the UK.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to accelerate the (a) development and (b) commercialization of advanced low-carbon liquid fuel technologies.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure a (a) secure and (b) sustainable supply chain for low-carbon liquid fuel.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has taken steps to (a) provide a regulatory framework for and (b) encourage the use of low-carbon liquid fuels in vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to support research and development in the production and distribution of sustainable low-carbon liquid fuels for the transportation sector.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of low-carbon liquid fuels in reducing transport emissions.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.
Asked by: Karl McCartney (Conservative - Lincoln)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress he has made on promoting the use of low-carbon liquid fuels in the transport sector.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has supported the uptake of low carbon fuels for 15 years through its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) scheme. The RTFO sets targets for the supply of low carbon fuels and sustainability criteria, which these fuels must meet. The RTFO has been highly successful in securing a market for the supply of low carbon liquid fuels in the UK.
Under current carbon budgets, low carbon fuels contribute a third of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in the domestic transport sector. In 2022, low carbon fuel that were reported under the RTFO saved on average 82 per cent carbon emissions compared to the fossil fuels that they replaced, saving 7.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. In 2022, low carbon fuel made up 6.8 per cent of total road fuel supplied.
The Department plans to introduce a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandate from 2025, which will require at least ten per cent of UK aviation fuel to be made from sustainable sources from 2030. The Jet Zero Strategy set out that the use of SAF could contribute up to 17% of the emissions savings needed in the aviation sector by 2050.
The Department has accelerated the uptake of advanced low carbon fuels by allocating £171 million to advanced fuel demonstration projects through four competitions and is setting up a UK SAF Clearing House to support the testing and approval of advanced fuels for aviation.
The Department will also publish a Low Carbon Fuels Strategy to further support investment by setting out a vision for the deployment of low carbon fuels across transport modes up to 2050.