Concawe Review 31.1
Evaluation of pathways to decarbonise transport, simulations of the impact of our products on air quality, evaluation of the safety of our industrial and supply activities: the articles in this edition of the Concawe Review target our traditional area of interests and are at the heart of the European Green Deal objective of climate neutrality, and a safe and clean environment. The first article summarises a study launched by Concawe to assess the effects of fuel quality on diesel passenger car and commercial vehicle emissions. Several diesel fuels, with different qualities including different proportions of biofuels, have been tested on cars and heavy-duty vehicles with different Euro norms to evaluate the interactions between fuel quality and vehicle technology, and the effects on CO2 and NOx emissions.
The second article is part of Concawe’s Low Carbon Pathways project: it examines the specificities of the maritime transport sector, and develops and compares three scenarios whereby the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) ambition to reduce global maritime emissions by 50% in 2050 would be met through a combination of ship technology improvements and low-carbon fuels mix. The third article builds on the findings of the earlier Concawe urban air quality studies to examine how concentrations of the major urban pollutants (NO2, PM and ozone) would vary under different emission reduction scenarios, and to assess the practicability of achieving compliance with the current and future European Union air quality limit values. The final article celebrates an anniversary: Concawe has been publishing regular reports on European oil pipeline safety and environmental performance statistics for 50 years!
These reports have contributed to a better understanding of these issues, and have allowed pipeline operators to develop best practices to reduce the number of spills and accidents, including those caused by theft. Given the success, and the need to continuously improve inspection, maintenance and supervision practices on an ageing pipeline network, there is no doubt that we will be celebrating a 100-year anniversary in 2072!
Concawe Director Jean-Marc Sohier