An Auto Plan 2030 Running on Fumes: The Sector Calls for Accelerating with Biofuels

The path towards transport decarbonization in Spain, dominated by over 80% road traffic, could be accelerated immediately if the government rectified an omission in its Auto Plan 2030. While the administration strongly bets on electric vehicles, a broad coalition of producers and transporters demands the explicit and ambitious inclusion of renewable fuels, an already available technology that reduces emissions today and which the current plan relegates to a marginal role.

Key sector associations, such as APPA Biocarburantes (Biofuels section of the Association of Renewable Energy Producers) and Bio-E (Biofuels Spain), are leading the claim. Their argument is clear: ignoring these fuels, which already account for 11.5% of road fuel, wastes a crucial tool for meeting climate targets. It affects them directly by excluding a national industry with great potential from the framework of aid and incentives, and it would benefit them by achieving political recognition that would attract investment and consolidate their market.

The urgency has technical and economic grounds. According to MITECO data, renewable fuels achieved an immediate 83% reduction in emissions in 2024. For producers and distributors, their massive inclusion in the national strategy would mean protecting and enhancing thousands of jobs in adapted refineries (biorefining) and in the agricultural sector that supplies sustainable raw materials, where Spain is a European power. It is a matter of industrial competitiveness.

The demand is not isolated but aligns with the European trend. The European Commission itself is revising CO2 emission standards for cars, and countries like Brazil, with the “Belém x4” initiative, are leading a global movement to quadruple the production of these fuels. For Spain, failing to leverage its competitive advantage in this field would mean missing a technological and strategic opportunity, increasing its external energy dependence.

In conclusion, the sector proposes a simple rectification: adopting real “technological neutrality” in the Auto Plan 2030. This would involve incentivizing all low-carbon solutions, including renewable fuels for the existing vehicle fleet. The benefit would be threefold: accelerating real decarbonization today, strengthening the national industry, and offering consumers more affordable options in a transition that, they warn, cannot depend on a single technology.