Car Fuels [EU]

Quality of petrol and diesel fuels: sulphur and lead

To reduce pollution from car emissions, the European Union (EU) has introduced environmental specifications applicable to fuels: a ban on the marketing of leaded petrol and the obligation to make sulphur-free fuels available within the Union. Moreover, the use of biofuels is becoming a necessity in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Council Directive 93/12/EEC [See amending acts].

This Directive meets the commitment given in Directive 94/12/EC that target values would be adopted involving a substantial reduction in pollutant emissions from motor vehicles.

Types of vehicle covered by the Directive

The Directive sets the environmental specifications to be applied to fuels for road vehicles and non-road mobile machinery (including inland waterway vessels when not at sea), agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft when not at sea.

Petrol standards

The standards relating to petrol are detailed in Annex I to this Directive.

Since the year 2000, the marketing of leaded petrol has been banned.

Until 2013, suppliers must place on the market petrol with a maximum oxygen content of 2.7 % and a maximum ethanol content of 5 %.

Derogations may be applied for the outermost regions for the introduction of petrol with a maximum sulphur content of 10 mg/kg. Member States also have the option to place on the market petrol with a maximum vapour pressure of 70 kPa during the summer period. However, the Commission must assess the desirability and duration of the derogation.

Diesel fuel standards

The standards relating to diesel fuel are detailed in Annex II to this Directive.

The sulphur content of gas oils intended for use by non-road mobile machinery must not exceed 1 000 mg/kg. From 1 January 2011, the sulphur content must not exceed 10mg/kg.

However, certain derogations are possible for the outermost regions and for Member States with severe winter weather. In the case of the latter, the maximum distillation point of 65 % at 250 °C for diesel fuels and gas oils may be replaced by a maximum distillation point of 10 % at 180 °C.

Greenhouse gas emissions reductions

Certain suppliers are designated by Member States to be responsible for monitoring and reporting life cycle greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy from fuel and energy supplied.

With effect from 1 January 2011, suppliers shall report annually, to the authority designated by the Member State, on the greenhouse gas intensity of fuel and energy supplied within each Member State

Suppliers are required to gradually reduce life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 10 % by 31 December 2020 at the latest. The Directive provides intermediary objectives for the course of this time period.

Biofuels: sustainability criteria

The biofuels taken into account shall not be made from the following raw materials:

• primary forests and other wooded land;
• designated areas;
• highly biodiverse grassland;
• raw materials with high carbon stock.

The greenhouse gas emission saving from the use of biofuels must reach 35 %. With effect from 1 January 2017, the saving must reach 50 % and 60 % from 2018 onwards.

Member States must comply with the sustainability criteria for biofuels. To this end, they shall subject economic operators to a number of requirements.

References

Act	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 98/70/EC	28.12.1998	1.7.1999	OJ L 350 of 28.12.1998

 

Amending act(s)	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 2000/71/EC	4.12.2000	1.1.2001	OJ L 287 of 14.11.2000
Directive 2003/17/EC	22.3.2003	30.6.2003	OJ L 76 of 22.3.2003
Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003	20.11.2003	–	OJ L 284 of 31.10.2003
Directive 2009/30/EC	25.6.2009	31.12.2010	OJ L 140 of 5.6.1010

Recovery of petrol vapours during storage

This Directive aims to reduce emissions from volatile organic compounds due to evaporation of petrol at all stages of the fuel storage and distribution chain.

European Parliament and Council Directive 94/63/EC of 20 December 1994 on the control of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions resulting from the storage of petrol and its distribution from terminals to service stations

Summary

This Directive covers to the operations, installations, vehicles and vessels used for storage, loading and transport of petrol from one terminal to another or from a terminal to a service station.

The Directive lays down harmonised technical specifications for the design and use of:

• storage installations at terminals;
• equipment for loading and unloading mobile containers at terminals;
• mobile containers;
• equipment for loading into storage installations at service stations.

Transitional periods are laid down for implementing these specifications.

Member States may maintain or require more stringent measures than those laid down in the Directive throughout their territory or in geographical areas where it is established that such measures are necessary for the protection of human health or the environment.

The Directive provides a procedure for adapting the Annexes to technical progress.

The reports on the implementation of this Directive are drawn up in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 91/692/EEC of 23 December 1991.

References

Act	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 94/63/EC	20.01.1995	31.12.1995	OJ L 365 of 31.12.1994

 

Amending act(s)	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003	20.11.2003	–	OJ L 284 of 31.10.2003
Regulation (EC) No 1137/2008	11.12.2008	–	OJ L 311 of 21.11.2008

RELATED ACTS

Directive 2009/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 on Stage II petrol vapour recovery during refuelling of motor vehicles at service stations [Official Journal OJ L 285 of 31.10.2009].
This Directive aims at ensuring the recovering of harmful petrol vapours displaced from the fuel tank of a motor vehicle during refuelling at a service station. In a large number of European service stations petrol pumps must be fitted with a system to recover at least 85% of these vapours. These vapours contribute to the emission of atmospheric pollutants such as ground-level ozone and benzene, which are harmful to human health and the environment.

Sulphur content of certain liquid fuels

The European Union is gradually reducing emissions of sulphur dioxide resulting from the combustion of heavy fuel oils and certain liquid fuels derived from petroleum.

Council Directive 93/12/EEC of 22 March 1993 relating to the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels [See amending acts].

Summary

Sulphur is naturally present in small quantities in petroleum and coal. Sulphur dioxide (SO2) has been recognised for decades as a major cause of the “acid rain” and air pollution which affect urban and industrial areas. More recently, it has been recognised that SO2 emissions contribute to the formation of secondary inorganic aerosol gases, fine particles which are harmful to human health.

Directive 93/12/EEC, as subsequently amended, is intended to combat emissions of sulphur dioxide, which are one of the causes of acidification and particle formation in the European Union (EU), and are one of the factors causing damage to ecosystems, biodiversity and human health.

On 12 March 1997 the Commission adopted a communication on a Community strategy to combat acidification [COM(97) 88 final – not published in the Official Journal]. Limiting sulphur emissions from the combustion of certain liquid fuels was recognised as an important element in the strategy.

The reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions applies to heavy fuel oils and gas oil (liquid fuels derived from petroleum, including, since Directives 1999/32/EC and 2005/33/EC, those used by seagoing ships).

The following are excluded from the scope of the Directive:

• gas oil for maritime use used by ships crossing a frontier between a third country and a Member State (until 1 January 2010, when Directive 2005/33/EC enters into force);
• fuels intended for processing before final combustion;
• fuels intended for processing in refineries;
• fuels intended for the purposes of research and testing;
• fuels used and placed on the market in the outermost regions of the Community, under certain conditions;
• fuels used by ships on military service and by any ship to ensure its own safety or for saving life at sea, or the use of which is necessitated as a result of damage.

Member States undertake to stop using heavy fuel oils with a sulphur content of over 1.00% by mass from 1 January 2003.

However, a Member State may permit the use of heavy fuel oils with a sulphur content of between 1.00% and 3.00% by mass, throughout or in part of its territory, if the emissions do not cause the critical levels in a Member State to be exceeded and if the air quality standards laid down in Directive 80/779/EEC, which has been replaced by Directive 1999/30/EC, and in all other legislation repealing and replacing those standards are respected.

Member States must ensure that gas oil (including gas oil for maritime use) is not used on their territory from:

• 1 July 2000 if the sulphur content is more than 0.20% by mass;
• 1 January 2008 if the sulphur content is more than 0.10% by mass.

In certain cases (sudden change of supply), the Commission may authorise a Member State to apply higher values on its territory, for a period not exceeding 6 months, if the Member State has difficulty in meeting its obligations under the Directive. The Commission must notify its decision to the Council and the other Member States.

The Directive provides for verification of the sulphur content of fuels by sampling and analysis.

On the basis of the results of the analyses, Member States must submit a report to the Commission on the sulphur content of the liquid fuels subject to the Directive no later than 30 June each year.

The Commission must submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council no later than 31 December 2006, together with any proposals for amending the Directive.

Marine fuels

Directive 1999/32/EC extends the legislation on the reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions to cover certain liquid fuels derived from petroleum and used by seagoing ships.

Directive 2005/33/EC, like the communication on reducing atmospheric emissions from seagoing ships, forms part of a European Union strategy to reduce air pollution from ships. At the moment, ships are one of the leading sources of sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions in the Union. Research has shown that, by 2010, SO2 emissions from ships could be equivalent to over 75% of the emissions from all land-based sources.

The Directive extends the scope of Directive 1999/32/EC to include all liquid fuels derived from petroleum and used by ships operating in Member States’ territorial waters. It provides, in particular, for:

• limiting to 1.5% by mass, from 11 August 2006, the sulphur content of marine fuels used by vessels in the Baltic Sea, and from 11 August 2007 for vessels in the North Sea and the English Channel, in order to reduce acidification and improve air quality;
• limiting to 1.5% by mass, from 11 August 2006, the sulphur content of marine fuels used by passenger vessels on regular services to or from any port in the Union in order to improve air quality and create sufficient demand to ensure an EU-wide supply of low-sulphur fuel;
• limiting to 0.1% by mass, from 1 January 2010, the sulphur content of marine fuels used by ships on inland waterways and at berth in order to improve air quality around ports and inland waterways;
• by way of derogation to the abovementioned limits for fuel oil, allowing ships to use an approved emission abatement technology, provided that these ships continuously achieve emission reductions which are at least equivalent and that they thoroughly document that any waste streams discharged into enclosed ports and estuaries have no impact on ecosystems;
• limiting to 1.5% by mass the sulphur content of marine diesel oils sold in the European Union;
• limiting to 0.1% by mass the sulphur content of marine gas oils sold in the European Union;
• requiring refuelling operations to be recorded in the logbook before ships can be granted access to ports in the Community;
• ensuring that the sulphur content of fuels sold on the territory of the Member States is documented by the supplier, accompanied by a sample.

The Directive also provides for verification of the sulphur content of marine fuels by sampling and analysis. Every year, Member States must send the Commission a report on the sulphur content of the fuels covered by this proposal and used on their territory. By 31 December 2010, the Commission must send Parliament and the Council a report on implementation of the Directive, together with any proposals for amending it.

References

Act	Entry into force – Date of expiry	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 93/12/EEC	Date of notification	1.10.1994	OJ L 74, 27.3.1993

 

Amending act(s)	Entry into force	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 98/70/EC	28.12.1998	1.7.1999	OJ L 350, 28.12.1998
Directive 1999/32/EC	11.5.1999	1.7.2000	OJ L 121, 11.5.1999
Directive 2005/33/EC	11.8.2005	11.8.2006	OJ L 191, 22.7.2005