21 October 2022

EP ADOPTS AMENDMENTS ON AFIR

On 19 October, the European Parliament adopted in plenary session its position on the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure regulation (AFIR) proposal. MEPs agreed to set more ambitious deployment targets for recharging/refuelling road infrastructure and onshore power supply in maritime ports.

The Parliament retained all the amendments that have been adopted by the TRAN committee on 3 October. MEPs agreed to set minimum mandatory national targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure and to ask EU countries to present their plan by 2024 on how to achieve it. Electric charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles would be deployed every 60 km along the core TEN-T network by 2026, with increasing requirements on the required power output by 2030. MEPs also moved forward target requirements on charging stations in Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) from 2031 to 2028 and strengthened hydrogen refuelling infrastructure targets (every 100 km as opposed to 150 km in the Commission proposal).

With regards to alternative fuels in ports, MEPs retained the targets proposed by the commission on the deployment of onshore power supply (OPS): main TEN-T ports would be fitted with OPS by 2030 to match the demand. The Parliament introduced provisions ensuring that by 2025, ports would have an appropriate number of refuelling points for ammonia and hydrogen, in addition to LNG, to meet market demand.

Finally, MEPs proposed to introduce infrastructure targets for railway lines: Member States should ensure the provision of sufficient infrastructure to meet the electrification objectives of the TEN-T Regulation. The Parliament also proposed deployment targets for charging stations for battery-powered trains and hydrogen refuelling stations on railways for which electrification is not possible or when costs outweigh the benefits.

CLECAT welcomes the adoption of the AFIR proposal by the Parliament, as it gives clear and ambitious targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in all modes of transport, notably for road by ensuring decent and powerful coverage of the TEN-T network by electric charging stations.

The Parliament will now enter into negotiations with the Council, which adopted its position in June 2022.

Source: European Parliament