Descrizione 1
Antonella Bernetti
This result has been facilitated by factors such as partial exemption from excise duties for these fuels and the allowance for vehicles powered by liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas to circulate in urban areas during traffic restriction periods.
Nevertheless, the use of low-impact fuels (of which biofuels account for 42%) remains limited. In 2022, they represented only 11% of total road fuel consumption: 6% from low-emission fossil fuels and 5% from biofuels, while gasoline and diesel still accounted for 89% of the total.
The indicator measures the penetration of low environmental impact fuels and biofuels in the transport sector. These fuels include: natural gas; liquefied petroleum gas (LPG); biodiesel (derived from oilseed crops such as rapeseed or sunflower); bioethanol (produced from sugar- or starch-rich crops such as sugar beets, cereals, and sugarcane, and more recently, second-generation bioethanol produced from pilot plants using lignocellulosic waste); and biogas (obtained through the anaerobic fermentation of organic substances of animal or plant origin).
The increased use of biofuels is one of the key objectives of the EU climate and energy package.
To measure the penetration level of less polluting fuels in order to promote their widespread adoption.
Directive 2003/30/EC encouraged Member States to achieve, by 2010, a 5.75% share of biofuels in the total amount of fuels placed on the market, on an energy content basis. This directive was subsequently superseded by Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, which required each Member State to ensure that, by 2020, a minimum 10% share (also on an energy basis) of diesel, gasoline, and electricity used in road transport would come from renewable sources. Directive 2009/28/EC was later repealed by Directive (EU) 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
The White Paper on Transport set the targets of halving the use of conventionally-fuelled cars in urban transport by 2030 and phasing them out completely by 2050, as well as establishing, by 2030, urban logistics systems with zero CO₂ emissions in major cities. For the aviation sector, it set a 2050 target of a 40% share of low-carbon sustainable fuels, while for maritime transport it aimed to reduce CO₂ emissions from bunker fuels used in the EU by 40% (and, if feasible, by 50%) by 2050.
Directive 2009/30/EC on fuel quality required at least a 6% reduction by 2020 in the greenhouse gas intensity of transport fuels. Together with Directive 2009/28/EC on renewable energy, it also established criteria for the sustainability of biofuels.
The 2030 Climate and Energy Framework sets EU-wide policy targets for the period 2021–2030. The key targets for 2030 include: at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels; at least a 32% share of renewable energy; and at least a 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency. The framework was adopted by the European Council in October 2014, and the targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency were revised upward in 2018.
Directive (EU) 2018/2001 establishes a common framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources and sets an overall binding target. Member States are collectively required to ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in the Union’s gross final energy consumption reaches at least 32% by 2030. To this end, they must set national contributions as part of their integrated national energy and climate plans, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.
The European Green Deal (European Commission, 2019) calls for accelerating the transition toward smart and sustainable mobility. Among its climate neutrality targets for 2050 is the scaling up of the production and deployment of sustainable alternative fuels in the transport sector. For the transport sector, the target assigned to Italy by the 2023 National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) for the share of total energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources (RES) is set at 30.7% by 2030.
Descrizione 2
(a) European Commission, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – *"A Roadmap for Moving to a Competitive Low-Carbon Economy in 2050"*, COM(2011) 112, 8.3.2011.
(b) European Commission, White Paper – "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a Competitive and Resource-Efficient Transport System", COM(2011) 144, 28.3.2011.
(c) European Commission, Energy Roadmap 2050, COM(2011) 885/2.
(d) European Commission, White Paper on the Future of Europe – Reflections and Scenarios for the EU27 by 2025, COM(2017) 2025, 1 March 2017.
(e) European Commission, The European Green Deal, COM(2019) 640 final.
(f) EEA (European Environment Agency), Monitoring CO₂ Emissions from Passenger Cars, various years. https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/co2-cars-emission-20
(g) EUROSTAT Database, European Commission, various years. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database
(h) GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici), Monitoring of Renewable Energy Sources, 2023. https://www.gse.it/dati-e-scenari/monitoraggio-fer/monitoraggio-nazionale/settore-trasporti
(i) Innovhub, Report on the Physico-Chemical Characterization of Fossil Fuels Used in Italy, Experimental Fuel Station, various years.
(j) IPCC, 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, 2006.
(k) ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), National Inventory of Atmospheric Emissions, 2024. https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/
(l) ISPRA, Italian Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2022, National Inventory Report 2024, Report 398/2024.
(m) ISPRA, Annual Report on the Quality of Automotive Fuels Produced, Imported, and Marketed in Italy, various years. https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/pubblicazioni/documenti-tecnici/relazione-annuale-sulla-qualita-dei-combustibili-per-autotrazione-prodotti-importati-e-commercializzati-nell-anno-2022
(n) ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics), Gross Domestic Product at Market Prices, various years. http://dati.istat.it/
(o) MASE (Ministry of Environment and Energy Security), National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), 2023. https://www.mase.gov.it/sites/default/files/PNIEC_2023.pdf
(p) MASE, MIMIT, National Energy Balance, various years. https://dgsaie.mise.gov.it/ben.php
(q) MIMIT (Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy), Guide to Fuel Savings and CO₂ Emissions, various years. https://www.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/mercato-e-consumatori/qualita-di-prodotti-e-servizi/auto-ed-emissioni-co2
(r) MIMIT, National Action Plan for Renewable Energy in Italy, 2010.
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Qualificazione dati
The data originate from official statistics and archives (Eurostat, GSE, ISPRA), and fiscal documentation - National Energy Balance (MASE, MIMIT).
Source References:
- Eurostat Database - European Commission
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database - GSE (Gestore dei Servizi Energetici) - Renewable Energy Sources Monitoring
https://www.gse.it/dati-e-scenari/monitoraggio-fer/monitoraggio-nazionale/settore-trasporti - ISPRA (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) - National Emissions Inventory
https://emissioni.sina.isprambiente.it/inventario-nazionale/ - MASE (Ministry of Environment and Energy Security) - National Energy Balance
https://sisen.mase.gov.it/dgsaie/
National
1990 - 2022
Qualificazione indicatore
Fuel consumption data were processed by ISPRA based on the information provided in the National Energy Balance (compiled by MASE and MIMIT), in accordance with the methodologies set out in the IPCC Guidelines for the preparation of National Greenhouse Gas Inventories submitted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The share of gross final energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources is published by GSE as part of the monitoring of Italy’s national RES target for the transport sector. The 2021 figure was calculated according to the methodology established by Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II), whereas the data up to 2020 were calculated based on the methodology established by Directive 2009/28/EC (RED I), and are therefore not fully comparable.
The status is assessed as "poor" since, as of today, the use of lower environmental impact fuels remains marginal; in 2022, these fuels collectively accounted for only 11% of on-road fuel consumption, of which 6% corresponds to low-emission fossil fuels and 5% to biofuels, while gasoline and diesel still represent 89% (Table 1, Figure 1).
However, Italy shows a relatively higher diffusion of lower environmental impact fuels compared to other European countries. The partial exemption from excise duties on these fuels has contributed to their spread. Another factor is the allowance for vehicles fueled by LPG and natural gas to circulate in urban areas during traffic restriction periods. Italy has a relatively substantial fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles compared to the European average; nevertheless, the share of biofuels in total consumption remains low, consisting largely of imported products or those manufactured from imported raw materials.
In 2022, biofuels accounted for approximately 42% of the total energy consumption of lower-impact fuels, natural gas represented 14%, and LPG the predominant 44% (Figure 1).
In Italy, the share of total energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources in the transport sector reached 10.7% in 2020, surpassing the 10% target assigned to Italy by Directive 2009/28/EC and the National Action Plan for the same year. In 2021, this share, calculated according to the methodology set out in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II) and thus not fully comparable, was 10.0% (Table 1).
A negative assessment is attributed to the trend in relation to the desirable environmental direction, because although progress has been recorded over the years and the use of biofuels has become more substantial since 2009, overall the increase in the use of low environmental impact fuels has not been significant compared to total consumption in the transport sector. LPG consumption, which has remained predominant over natural gas and biofuel consumption throughout the years, shows a sharp decline particularly between 2000 and 2007, following the reduction of the fleet. Consumption subsequently increased due to incentive policies (Table 1). Natural gas consumption has generally increased, except for decreases in the years 2002, 2004, 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2022. The general reduction in consumption observed from 2019 to 2020 is primarily attributable to mobility restriction measures due to the pandemic crisis, followed by a general recovery in 2021.
The trend is also negatively evaluated in terms of the share of gross final energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources in the transport sector, which in 2021 amounted to 10.0%, in relation to the 2030 target of 30.7% assigned to Italy in the proposed Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan submitted to the European Commission in July 2023.
Dati
Figure 1: Composition of energy consumption from transport fuels, with emphasis on low-environmental-impact fuels (2022)
ISPRA processing based on data from MASE and MIMIT
Table 1: Energy consumption of low-environmental-impact fuels and biofuels
ISPRA processing based on data from MASE, MIMIT, and GSE.
(a) Data on the share of gross final energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources from GSE, included in the monitoring of the national RES target for the transport sector.
The historical time series has been recalculated consistently with the update of the National Emissions Inventory reported under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Regarding the data on the share of gross final energy consumption covered by renewable energy sources from GSE, the 2021 value was calculated applying the methodology established by Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II), while data up to 2020 were calculated using the methodology set by Directive 2009/28/EC (RED I) and are therefore not fully comparable.
In general, the use of lower environmental impact fuels in transportation, and in particular biofuels, enables the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, diversification of energy sources, and substitution or supplementation of fossil fuels. Despite some fluctuations over the years in the historical data series considered, the consumption of low-impact fuels has shown overall growth since the 1990s (Table 1), but it has not yet had a significant share of the total fuels used. To date, the most significant fuel among the lower impact options is LPG. Italy has a relatively large fleet of vehicles powered by LPG and natural gas compared to the European average; however, while the LPG distribution network is widespread nationwide, the adoption of natural gas vehicles is still hindered by an insufficient distribution infrastructure, especially in Southern Italy. In recent years, various incentives have been directed toward subsidizing the purchase of electric vehicles and the establishment of a recharging network for these vehicles, which however remain numerically limited compared to the total fleet in circulation.