The decarbonisation of the transport sector in Italy does not pass through e-fuels, either electrofuels. In our country there are no production plants for so-called synthetic fuels, i.e. products starting from the extraction, via electrolysis, of green hydrogen (therefore powered by renewable electricity) which is subsequently combined together with CO2 to give life to a fuel liquid.
Higher energy density than electric
E-fuels are able to reduce climate-changing gas emissions, being carbon neutral, and can be used in traditional endothermic engines. They are also compatible with the distribution and sales infrastructure currently in use for diesel and petrol and have an energy density significantly higher than that of batteries which makes them particularly attractive for use in sports cars. Porsche, for example, has recently started the industrial production of synthetic fuels in Punta Arenas, Chile. In the plant it has also carried out the first refueling of a 911, an iconic model of the German company, one of its best sellers, for which there is no an electric version.
It has already been decided that Formula 1 will switch to synthetic fuels starting from the 2026 season, in the broader strategy of achieving carbon neutrality in 2030. While the move won’t dent the circuit’s overall emissions – 99 per cent of which come not from racing cars but from sources such as air travel to races around the world – it will help demonstrate that synthetic fuels can power high performance engines.
Biofuels in Italy
E-fuels in Europe are produced in Germany and Iceland according to the monitoring of the e-Fuel alliance, with projects starting in Spain, Norway, Denmark, Sweden. Italy has embarked on the path of bio-fuels, produced from biomass or waste, with Eni as the protagonist. The company’s new strategic plan envisages an acceleration of biofuel production targets: from the current 1.1 million tonnes per year to over 3 in 2025, up to 5 by 2030. «In the Venice biorefinery we will increase capacity of 200 thousand tons. In Livorno there is a possible development with a conversion project under study, as well as growth paths in the world», explains Stefano Ballista, CEO of Eni Sustainable Mobility. Another step is product differentiation, such as Hvo (hydrotreated vegetable oil) in purity, already available in over 50 service stations, or Eni Biojet, a Saf (sustainable aviation fuel): «In Italy, the production of biojets is planned in Gela and Venice. We will reach 200,000 tonnes by 2024. For Saf, Europe is working to introduce a mandatory minimum quota in 2025: 2% of the total», says Ballista.
High production costs
Unem, the union of oil companies, commissioned a feasibility study in 2021 for the construction of a demonstration plant for the production of e-fuels in collaboration with the Milan Polytechnic, in particular the GECOS Group of the Department of Energy. Among the conclusions we read how «the production of e-fuel is technically feasible with the use of currently existing and relatively consolidated technologies. Nonetheless, the expected energy yields, meaning the percentage of electricity of renewable origin transformed into chemical energy stored in the e-fuel produced, are relatively modest and the foreseeable production costs are significantly higher than those of conventional fossil fuels. These criticalities could be balanced by the decidedly lower need for huge infrastructural investments to ensure the energy supply to the various transport sectors”.