19 January 2024
We are excited to share key insights from the recent ISCC Technical Stakeholder Meeting for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBOs), which took place online with more than 315 active participants and featured eight expert speakers. Congratulations to Sonia Rando and Karl Mustafa, the newly elected Co-Chairs of the Technical Committee. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with them.
The decision to establish an ISCC Technical Stakeholder Committee was prompted by the dedicated legislation published in June 2023 and evolving supply/value chains. ISCC has set up a certification approach for RFNBOs under ISCC EU which is currently under revision by the European Commission for recognition. ISCC has actively participated in various RFNBO pilot projects, including collaborations with Meo Carbon Solutions.
Meo, our sister company, has provided support for different RFNBOs pilot projects, including GHG calculations, certification set-up, renewable electricity requirements verification, and certification support for voluntary markets.
Key topics covered during the meeting included updates on ISCC’s certification approach for RFNBOs and insights into the regulatory framework, with a focus on the UK and European approaches.
Bernd Kuepker from the European Commission, DG Ener, discussed the legal framework for renewable electricity and the determination of GHG emissions of RFNBOs as laid down in the Implementing Regulations [1] as well as the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), outlining targets for renewables in transport and incentives for advanced biofuels and RFNBOs, along with multipliers for their use in aviation and maritime.
Dr. Gareth Mottram (Senior Policy Advisor Department for Transport, UK Government) presented new developments on hydrogen within the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) framework. Notably, the RTFO expanded support for RFNBOs in various sectors, and flexibility for RFNBO production was increased, emphasizing the importance of grid renewable energy.
TES-H2, Air Products and Maersk shared insights from pilot audits of RFNBOs that focused on understanding the audit process, identifying compliance gaps, guiding on-site teams through plant construction and enabling off-take agreements.
A big thank you to all the speakers and participants for their valuable contributions to the success of the meeting.
[1] Delegated Regulations (EU) 2023/1184 and (EU) 2023/1185