Shell “will temporarily suspend construction work” on this site located in Rotterdam which should ultimately produce 820,000 tonnes of biofuels per year, and is presented as one of the most important projects of this type in Europe.
The group says it wants to “ensuring future competitiveness” of the site “given current market conditions“.
Shell, which has not specified how long the pause will last, has backtracked in recent months, like its compatriot BP, on some climate targets, to the dismay of environmental activists, putting more emphasis on oil and gas to boost its profits.
BP also suspended two new production projects last month.CDA and renewable diesel“.
Shell had also lowered its target of reducing “the net carbon intensity (ratio of emissions to volumes, editor’s note) of energy products sold by 2030“.
The group had already been heavily criticised by environmental organisations last year for indicating that it would no longer reduce its oil production by 2030, claiming that it had already achieved, in advance, a target of reducing production by 1 to 20%. 2% per year, unveiled in 2021.
“We are committed to achieving our goal of net zero emissions by 2050, with low carbon fuels being a key part of Shell’s strategy” aiming to “decarbonize cost-effectively“, assured Huibert Vigeveno on Tuesday, who notably heads the group’s renewable energy branch.
Produced from used oils, wood residues or algae, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can be used in addition to kerosene (up to 50%) in current aircraft.
They are considered the main lever for decarbonization of a sector which currently contributes to some 3% of global CO2 emissions, but their production remains in its infancy and very expensive, and their sustainability is disputed.
The main airline association, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said last month that “extremely ambitious“the global goal of incorporating 5% of non-fossil-based products in aviation fuel by 2030.
(c) AFP
Commenter Shell suspends construction of ‘sustainable’ fuel plant in the Netherlands
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