The Fit for 55 policy package is a set of proposals to revise and update European Union legislation in support of the EU’s target of reducing its net emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. While the Fit for 55 was first introduced in July of 2021, several of its key proposals have recently been passed and will take effect over the coming years.
The Brennstoffemissionshandelsgesetz (BEHG) is Germany’s national emissions cap program. In 2023, the Federal Office of Justice (Bundesamt für Justiz) published an ordinance on emissions testing under the BEHG for 2023 to 2030. One result of this ordinance is that the program has started to recognize the biogenic portion of emissions from waste incineration, such as from coal facilities using co-firing and waste-to-energy (WtE) plants. As a result, operators of these plants reporting their emissions for 2023 will be able to use carbon-14 (C-14) testing results to quantify the biogenic portion of their emissions.
A Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program is designed to decrease the carbon intensity (CI) of a state’s fuel supply by requiring suppliers to purchase credits corresponding to fossil fuels they sell and offering tax incentives to those providing renewable options. The revenue generated by selling credits is then used to finance the state’s energy transition, particularly by funding the public infrastructure necessary to promote the use of renewable fuels.
To incentivize the production of chemicals made from renewable resources, some states have implemented tax credit programs.
In a recent article in Global Cement Magazine, Beta Analytic marketing specialist Haley Gershon describes how carbon-14 testing can help cement plants reduce their greenhouse gas inventories by measuring their biogenic, carbon-neutral carbon dioxide emissions.