Energy Efficiency

The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, 2012/27/EU) established binding measures to help the EU reach its initial target of a 20% gain in energy efficiency by 2020 compared against projected energy use (based on a 2007 model) for the same year. In October 2014, the conclusions of the European Council called on the Commission to update the target with a 2030 perspective. “Accordingly, in November 2016, the European Commission (EC) adopted a proposal revising Directive 2012/27/EU as part of the “Clean Energy Package for All Europeans” comprising of initiatives focusing also on: energy performance of buildings; renewable energy post-2020; energy market design; energy governance, rules for the regulator ACER. ​

Energy efficiency is an important focus for the EU refinery sector. Energy represents 60% of the overall costs of EU refiners, so any gain in efficiency reduces the industry’s bills. EU refiners have increased their efficiency by 10% over the past 22 years, despite greater product and emissions requirements that require more intensive processing. The former Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete recognised that EU refining “has some of the most energy-efficient and innovative refineries in the world”.

During the last legislative process FuelsEurope shared with the co-legislators the following opinions:

Energy Efficiency Targets

Energy efficiency (reduction in energy used per unit of production) is not the same as reducing absolute energy use.

Fuelseurope welcomes the indicative nature of the 32.5% target for 2030 and the measure of energy consumption in terms of primary or final energy. Such approach should help ensuring the continuation and legal certainty compared to the 2020 framework.

In order to achieve the Energy Efficiency target, Member States should be allowed a certain level of flexibilities in particular to exclude from the calculations energy used in the industrial activities listed in the Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC.

Energy Efficiency Obligation Schemes (EEOS)

There are many successful examples of such schemes for traditional energy utilities in the EU and other parts of the world. But these depend on factors that do not apply to transport.

Some successful schemes include oil, but these must be carefully tailored to the particular supply process. Such a strong customer relationship does not exist in general for transport fuel supplies.

FuelsEurope is currently analysing the proposal of the European Commission and will provide the Commission and co-legislators for its inputs and contribution along the line of technology neutrality and the need for improvement of efficient energy.