Question 9479 — energy and fuels

Summary

The transformation of the Total refinery located in La Mède into a biorefinery, decided in 2016 and authorized on May 16 by the prefect of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, is part of the reorganization of the refining sector. It makes it possible, on the one hand, to maintain 250 jobs on the La Mède industrial site and, on the other hand, to produce specific products, hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO), which are up to currently produced abroad from palm oil then imported into France. The use of raw materials used to produce these biofuels, and in particular palm oil, will be strictly regulated. To date, the supply lines for this installation have not been completely finalized. In addition to raw vegetable oils, three other types of resources are targeted: used cooking oils, animal fats and acidic residues from the refining of edible oils. In this regard, the Government has imposed that a minimum share of 25% of supplies come from this circular economy. This is a considerable effort to structure French sectors. The Government has also asked the company Total to ensure that, as much as possible, the supply of crude vegetable oils (palm, rapeseed, soya) is limited. at quantities lower than the 450,000 tonnes per year authorized for the plant. The company was thus obtained a voluntary limitation of its palm oil consumption to 300,000 tonnes, or less than 50% of the raw materials used in La Mède. Regarding the portion that will come from crude vegetable oils, the Government reminded Total of the mandatory nature of community regulations relating to the sustainability of biofuels. Compliance with these criteria, which are very strict, is scrupulously monitored by the French authorities competent in the matter, and will be published each year. Thus, the authorization of the La Mède biorefinery will make it possible to replace imported HVO, produced with 100% palm oil, by HVO produced in France with 50% palm oil. In addition, the Government is committed to doing everything possible to, on the one hand, reduce the use of raw materials for energy use that compete with food use and, on the other hand, revise the sustainability criteria concerning raw materials with a high impact on the use of land for food purposes. Furthermore, and as announced in the Climate Plan on July 6, 2017, the Government reiterated its desire to only see sustainable palm oil used in France. THE Government took these positions during the European negotiations on the renewable energy directive which resulted in a capping then a gradual elimination of raw materials with a high ILUC impact (impact of indirect land use change on greenhouse gas emissions) by 2030. The Government also asked the European Commission to quickly launch work to develop a strategy on imported deforestation and, at the same time, the Minister of State, Minister for Ecological and Inclusive Transition, has initiated an ambitious policy in this area. Indeed, axis 15 of the Climate Plan plans to put an end to the importation, into France, of products contributing to deforestation, and to publish, in 2018, a national strategy to combat imported deforestation. This strategy, subject to consultation public from July 3 to 24, 2018, aims to combat the net loss of forests, and in particular tropical forests. Several measures will be taken, particularly for the private sector which will have to integrate sustainability criteria into its sector plans.

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