Published in Midwest Flyer – October/November 2019 Issue
Finland’s incoming government introduced its Government Programme, June 3, 2019, which includes ambitious climate targets and a goal for carbon neutral Finland in 2035. As part of reducing transport-related emissions, the share of biofuels in aviation is targeted at 30% through a blending obligation.
“This is a significant goal, enabling Finland to join the forerunners in reducing emissions in aviation. Air traffic is predicted to double during the next 15 years. The aviation industry has committed to carbon neutral growth starting from 2020, all while reducing net carbon emissions by 50% by 2050.
Currently, renewable jet fuel offers the only viable alternative to fossil liquid fuels for powering aircraft,” says Ilkka Räsänen of Neste Corporation. Neste produces Neste MY Renewable Jet Fuel™ from waste and residues, and aims to grow its production capacity in the following years.
The Norwegian government’s target is to increase the share of renewable fuels in aviation to 30% by 2030. As a first step, a law was passed this spring obligating aviation fuel suppliers to blend at least 0.5% of biofuel into their products starting from 2020.
Similarly, in Sweden, a report was published at the beginning of March 2019. It aims to concretize the target in the government agreement to increase the share of biofuels in aviation. The report proposes an obligation for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The reduction level would be 0.8% in 2021, and gradually increase to 27% in 2030.