Liquid renewables cannot replace all fossil fuels


Vattenfall and Preem in collaboration on a giant electrolysis plant in Lysekil. Preem’s sustainability manager does not rule out that the company may in the future produce hydrogen for heavy fuel cell vehicles.

Preem and Vattenfall continue their collaboration on biofuels, which Ny Teknik recently wrote about. The hope is to start up an electrolysis plant of 50 MW in Lysekil, where the hydrogen gas will be used in the production of biofuels.

Read more: Giant plant for hydrogen is planned in Lysekil

Ny Teknik asked Peter Abrahamsson, who is head of Sustainable Development at Preem, about the company’s view of the phasing out of internal combustion engines – and hydrogen gas for fuel cell vehicles. The goal is to produce five million cubic meters of biofuel by 2030 – does that mean that Preem does not believe in the phasing out of internal combustion engines (ICE cars) and a forthcoming ban?

– Electrification will be fast, especially for passenger cars, light and heavy vehicles running in local traffic. Renewable liquid products will not be able to match today’s fossil volumes, but will play a crucial role in the transition to a sustainable energy system where and in areas where electrification is slower or not possible. This includes aviation, the marine and chemical industries, says Peter Abrahamsson.

Controlled by Swedish reduction obligation

What emission levels will the intended biofuel produced with fossil-free hydrogen then provide?

– We will be able to produce biofuels with even better climate performance than we can today. How carbon dioxide-efficient products become is governed by the Swedish reduction obligation, which means sharply reduced emissions every year, until 2030, he says.

Read more: This is how Preem will make petrol from sawdust

Then the reduction on Swedish diesel will correspond to 66 percent lower emissions compared with fossil diesel. Today, the corresponding level is 21 percent and 26 percent from 1 August.

Need sustainable fuels

Today, only two percent of the cars in Sweden are rechargeable, and despite the electrification going fast, in 2030 there will be a large number of internal combustion engines that need sustainable fuels.

– Electrification takes place independently of the availability of renewable fuels. The total amount of fossil fuels can not be replaced by liquid renewable alternatives. We want to help supply the market that will still remain for internal combustion engines with sustainable fuels, says Peter Abrahamsson.

Read more: Major investment underway for hydrogen in Lysekil

The sustainability requirements are governed by the legislator’s requirements for a reduction obligation. When it comes to the comparison between internal combustion engines and electric cars’ carbon dioxide emissions, the latter are of course very dependent on how the marginal production of electricity takes place.

– If it is not fossil-free, it is of course worse for the environment than ICE, which runs on liquid renewable fuels, he says.

At present, the proposed electrolysis plant is substantial compared to the rest of Europe, and there are several challenges around the construction. In addition to the large investment, sustainable, reliable and relatively large deliveries of fossil-free electricity will be required, which Preem and Vattenfall will investigate in the coming steps of the collaboration. Today, liquid fuel applies, but it is not impossible that Preem’s hydrogen will one day end up in fuel cell vehicles.

– Fuel cells for heavy traffic is a track we follow closely. We do not rule out that in the future we may become a producer of hydrogen for that market, says Peter Abrahamsson.

Read more: Volvo Cars tests new Finnish renewable petrol: “Great potential”


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