UK Government Launch £20 million competition for Hydrogen investment for transport
The UK Government has launched a new £20 million competition for industry to harness the power of hydrogen for new transport projects. The aim is to lower carbon emissions on a wide range of transport modes from buses to delivery vehicles. The hub, located at Tees Valley in the north of England, will develop solutions towards using hydrogen in transport, which could create hundreds of jobs, help decarbonise the UK transport sector and provide energy security.
The competition will address challenges such as refuelling on a large scale, ensuring buses and coaches can use hydrogen in public transport ecosystems and how to make the supply chain greener with hydrogen-fuelled HGVs.
Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges this generation faces, and with transport contributing 24% to the UK’s CO2 levels, we are working hard to change things now and for the future.
Tees Valley continues to be the beacon for hydrogen technologies and will be further supported by £20 million going to the best and the brightest ideas that will create a world-leading industry with more skilled jobs in the heart of the north of England.
Read more at www.gov.uk
European Parliament Transport Committee adopts positions on Road Transport and Maritime Sustainability Measures
Infrastructure requirements for Road Transport
The European Parliament Transport Committee (TRAN) have adopted positions on the Alternative Fuels and Infrastructure Regulation (known as AFIR) with a sizable majority in support. The TRAN Committee position calls for Member States to provide charging stations for electric vehicles every 60km by 2026 and fuel for hydrogen vehicles every 100km by 2028 along the EU’s main transport corridors.
The Commission’s proposal had sought for hydrogen fuelling stations every 150km by 2031.
The TRAN Committee also included amendments that would ensure charging is accessible to all vehicle brands while making it easier to compare prices. By 2027, MEPs want consumers to have immediate access to information on charging point waiting times and prices at different stations.
Rapporteur Ismail Ertug (S&D) welcomed the vote saying:
“Sustainable alternative fuels and the deployment of their infrastructure play a key role in the transition to successful decarbonisation of the transport sector. By expanding charging infrastructure more quickly, we are making the transition to climate-friendly mobility easier for people and the industry,”
Greater ambition for maritime sustainability
It was a productive week for the TRAN committee, tackiling maritime sustainability also. True to form, the TRAN committee showed greater ambition for sustainability than appeared in the original proposal from the European Commission, calling for a 20% reduction in maritime sector greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and 80% as of 2050. The Commission’s original proposal had targets of 13% by 2035 and 75% by 2050.
MEPs also called for further cuts of emissions at ports by mandating the use of on-shore power supply while at berth and set a target of 2% renewable fuels usage by 2030.
Rapporteur of the file, Jörgen Warborn (EPP) welcomed the result saying:
“With today’s vote, we lay out by far the most ambitious pathway to maritime decarbonisation in the world. This agreement strikes a balance between ensuring that our climate targets are met efficiently while safeguarding the maritime sector’s competitiveness and shielding industries and families from rising prices.”
Read more at www.europarl.europa.eu
European Parliament Transport Committee 10 October, Draft Agenda
The TRAN Committee will meet on Monday the 10th of October from 15:30–18:30 Brussels time. Key items on the agenda:
Commission presentation of the proposal for a Decision repealing Council Directive 89/629/EEC on the limitation of noise from civil jet planes
Ensuring a level playing field for sustainable air transport (RefuelEU Sustainable Avaition Fuels) — Update on negotiations from Rapporteur Søren Game (Renew)
Amending Directive 2010/40/EU on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport
As always the meetings can be followed online here.
DRAFT AGENDA – Monday, 10 October 2022 | TRAN_OJ(2022)10-10_1 | European Parliament
DRAFT AGENDA – Monday, 10 October 2022
Review the full agenda – www.europarl.europa.eu the meeting can be followed online here
If you would like further information on these developments or other transport policy areas, don’t hesitate to get in touch.