UPM Biofore Magazine 1-2018

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In the existing policy, Norway has a

20% target for 2020 in the road transport sector, and the aim is to increase the use of biofuels to 40% by 2030 , depending on technology development and other alternatives.

choice of rawmaterial for biofuels especially in the Nordic countries, there has been some scepticism too. “There have been claims that there is not enough sustainable biofuel to decrease the use of fossil fuels. But at ZERO, we see that biofuel does not need to replace fossil fuels alone. It should be a combination of biofuels and vehicles with batteries and hydrogen. Norway has a lot of forests and Fløystad notes that this resource could be usedmore efficiently. “There have been a lot of shutdowns in the paper and pulp business in Norway, so we’re exporting quite a lot of wood to Sweden, Germany and other countries. We should look into how we could use that feedstock to build green industry and create more value out of it.” World leader in electric cars Electric cars are popular in Norway and the number has grown faster than anywhere else in the world. Kåre Gunnar Fløystad lists several reasons for this. “The sales of EV-cars are high due to a favourable tax system for new cars, which favours zero- and low-emission cars, and due to a policy which has given different incentives. Norway’s capital, Oslo, has suffered from bad air quality, especially in winter time, and a number of measures have been taken to improve the situation; the road pricing system is heavy with lots of road tolls in the region, and the system also differentiates between high, low-, and zero-emission solutions. “Diesel cars have not been banned yet in Oslo, but their road tax will be increased. Also, there is an interesting development for having emission-free zones in the city centre. There will be no cars or only zero-emission cars there in the future.”

In Norwegian cities, electric cars are allowed to use the faster lanes primarily used by public transport and taxis. “I think using the fast lanes has been a strong driver for people to switch to EV-cars as there are lots of traffic jams. Now, as the number of EV-cars is growing, we are starting to restrict their use: when driving an electric car in the rush hour, you need to have a passenger to use the public lane.” Fløystad says the shift to electric cars will continue and technical development will be fast in the coming years. Bright future for biofuels in heavy-duty transport Based on Norway’s new government programme and transportation plan, Kåre Gunnar Fløystad predicts

“It looks quite promising although we are thinking many years ahead there. But biofuels have a strong position especially in heavier parts of the transport sector. ZERO cooperates with UPM in greener transport and petrochemical sectors All in all, Fløystad considers the future of advanced biofuels exciting. He notes that it is very important to see advanced biofuels as one part of the bioeconomy – as a solution that also supports development in other markets where bio-based products will replace fossil products. One such example is the petrochemical sector. “I think it’s interesting that UPMhas also taken a look at that part of the bioeconomy because there will be a strong push for replacing petrochemicals in the future, and that’s a fast-growing market. We need to have sustainable, renewable alternatives also on that side.

ZERO (ZERO EMISSION RESOURCE ORGANISATION) •A Norwegian, environmental non-governmental organisation. •ZERO was founded in 2002 to work with reduction of greenhouse gases. •Promotes new technology that enables emission-free energy and fossil-free solutions. •ZERO enhances the use of electric cars and chargers, carbon capture and storage

that the use of biofuels will increasingly be moving over to heavy-duty transport, shipping and aviation. “There will also be a lot of develop­ ment in hybrid solutions in

Biofuels and other chemicals can go nicely hand in hand.” UPMand ZERO began their cooperation in 2018 to promote a green

It is very important to see advanced biofuels as one part of the bioeconomy.

heavier transport combing batteries, hydrogen and

DID YOU KNOW?

different biofuels. We have already seen a shift to electric ferries in Norway – some

UPM’s own advanced biofuel, UPM BioVerno, creates up to 80 per cent lower greenhouse gas emissions than fossil diesel. The combustion is cleaner, and using BioVerno significantly reduces tailpipe emissions from road traffic.

shift in the transport and petrochemicals sectors. “We have known UPM for

have switched to batteries, some are hybrids, some use biodiesel, and some advanced biofuel. All ferries are required to be fossil free by 2025, and this development is also spreading to other parts of the maritime industry.” At the moment, Norway is also looking at aviation and climate and considering the possibility of having small full-electric planes and hybrid engines that would also use liquid fuel, possibly biofuel, in planes.

several years and followed with interest a lot of the work UPMhas done, not just in biofuels but also in other sectors. It has been inspiring to see a traditional forest company turn around the way UPMhas done. In the future, UPM will give us more insight about what’s going on and howwe can develop things together to realise this green shift from fossil to renewable fuels in transport.” 

(CCS), renewable energy, electrification of offshore installations, bioeconomy, climate-friendly construction and buildings, and fossil-free plastic.

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