Does Spain really want to decarbonise shipping?

T&E Spain and ECODES invite you to an event to discuss the role of Spain in decarbonising shipping, in the context of the FuelEU Maritime debate.

Watch the event recording

About this webinar

Maritime transport is responsible for emitting more than 150 million tonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually in the European Union, a figure that rises to more than 1,000 Mt (= 1 Gt) globally.

It is an undeniable fact that this transport sector is currently almost entirely dependent on the use of fossil fuels, mostly heavy fuel oil, as a source of energy.

It is also indisputable that the shipping industry lags significantly behind other sectors in its efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. To meet the climate change targets of the Paris Agreement, this sector must dramatically accelerate its transition towards decarbonisation.

But attempting to decarbonise shipping using another fossil fuel, natural gas, has serious drawbacks. Natural gas is largely composed of methane molecules (CH4). In addition to producing CO2 when burned, methane is also a greenhouse gas in its own right, some 80 times more potent as a GHG than CO2 in a 20-year perspective. In the production, transport and storage of methane for use as fuel, a significant part of it escapes into the atmosphere unburned. This means that the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in shipping will undermine the current limited room for manoeuvre to keep global temperatures below catastrophic levels in the coming decades.

What is Spain’s position on the decarbonisation of maritime transport? Will it continue to rely primarily on LNG or will it prioritise the use of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO), i.e. green hydrogen and its derivatives such as green ammonia or e-methanol?

PROGRAMME

Tuesday 4 October, from 10:00 to 12:00

  • 10:00-10:05: Welcome and introduction of the moderator by Mario Rodriguez, Associate Director of Just Transition and Global Partnerships at ECODES.
  • 10:05-10:25: “E-fuel perspectives towards zero-emission shipping” by Jesse Fahnestock, Program Director, Global Maritime Forum.
  • 10:25-11:05: Experiences and projects underway.
    • Isabel Gómez, Senior Analyst in Energy Foresight. Directorate of Innovation, Sustainability and Quality, Iberdrola.
    • Francisco Álvarez, Public Policy Attaché, British Embassy Madrid.
    • Fernando Marcos, Commercial Director, MAN Energy Solutions Spain and Portugal.
    • Daniel Fraile, Chief Policy Officer, Hydrogen Europe. 
  • 11:05-11:55: Round table: How can FuelEU Maritime support the use of e-fuels in Spanish and European maritime transport?
  • Falk Heinen, from the German Ministry of Environment.
  • Miguel Juan Núñez, Head of Maritime Regulations and International Cooperation, Directorate General of Merchant Marine, Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA).
  • Josefine Pallesen, Danish Maritime Authority.
  • Delphine Gozillon, Sustainable Shipping Officer, Transport & Environment (T&E).
  • Closing by Carlos Bravo (T&E).

Moderator: Antonio Cerrillo, responsible for environmental information in the newspaper La Vanguardia.

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