Responding to the announcement that the UK Government intends to legislate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2050, UKPIA – the trade association for the UK’s downstream oil sector – has called on policymakers to work with industry to meet these ambitious goals.
UKPIA believes that the downstream oil sector – which includes the refining, distribution and marketing of liquid fuels and other products – has a role to play in the UK’s low-carbon energy transition. However, this must be done by enabling energy intensive industries to make carbon reductions from their products and processes whilst not damaging their competitiveness in a global market. We encourage government to adopt a technology-neutral approach that combines incentives with market-led solutions to find the most efficient means to reduce emissions across the UK.
Stephen Marcos Jones, UKPIA Director-General, said, “The decision to commit the UK to ‘net zero’ greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a momentous one – we cannot underestimate the effort that will be required from all areas of society to meet this challenge – and UKPIA stands ready to work with UK Government in realising this new target. The downstream oil sector has considerable potential to be a key participant in the UK’s low-carbon energy future. Companies in the sector have the expertise and resources that could develop the advanced fuels that can achieve widespread decarbonisation of transport, especially the more hard-to-decarbonise transport sectors such as Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs), aviation and shipping as they transition to low-carbon. To do this, however, governments and policymakers will need to work closely with industry to ensure emissions are not simply exported elsewhere whilst domestic manufacturing is rendered uncompetitive.”
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Notes to editors:
- The UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA) represents eight oil refining and marketing companies that operate the six major oil refineries in the UK and source over 85% of the transport fuels used. UKPIA members also own around 1,250 of the UK's 8,476 filling stations in the UK.
- Further details on the role the downstream oil sector can play in the transition to a low-carbon world will be available next month when UKPIA publishes its ‘Future Vision’ document. For more information visit www.ukpia.com or contact info@ukpia.com.