Urgent Need for EU Action on E-Fuels, Taxation, & Air Traffic Growth - CleanTechnica

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has reported on the implementation of the ReFuelEU regulation, revealing that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uptake remains very low, with only 0.6% of jet fuel supplied to EU airports in 2024 being SAF. Although this figure reflects voluntary deliveries before mandatory quotas take effect, the EU’s current operational SAF production capacity of 1.4 million tonnes is sufficient to meet the 2025 and 2030 targets of 2% and 4.8%, respectively. However, the sector is heavily reliant on imported biofuel feedstocks—69% of which come from outside Europe, mainly China and Malaysia—with used cooking oils (UCOs) comprising 80% of the feedstock. This reliance raises concerns about fraud and sustainability, prompting calls for prioritizing European feedstocks. Notably, despite over 40 e-fuel projects underway in Europe, no e-fuels have yet entered the market, largely due to