Norway asks the EU to speed up CO2 requirements for heavy transport
Artikkel is co-published with Energy and Climate.
Norway thinks it is going too slowly with, among other things, electrifying heavy transport in Europe. That is why Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap) sent a letter to the European Commission in the New Year.
The letter is addressed to Frans Timmermans, who is vice-president responsible for the green shift, and the commissioner responsible for transport, Adina Valean.
Here, Nygård is calling for a faster ramp-up of measures that can reduce CO2– the emissions from heavy transport.
Norway is a leader in electrifying the passenger car fleet and wants to use this infrastructure for heavier vehicles.
The EU Commission in Brussels has worked with requirements to reduce CO2-emissions from heavy transport for a while. The intention was to show this last year, but the matter was postponed. Well, it is announced that a proposal may come in mid-February.
Not first eviction
The background to this time is disagreement within the Commission about the emphasis on electrification, how the biofuel should be handled and the phasing in of hydrogen as a fuel for heavier vehicles. This is confirmed by sources familiar with the process.
But Nygård leaves little doubt that the Norwegian government is cheering for electric trucks and buses.
Still some way ahead
In his letter, Nygård calls for a stronger investment in electric heavy vehicles at European level.
“Although the policy must in principle be technology neutral, we know that electric heavy vehicles will be part of the solution”, he writes.
When the Commission advances the proposal, it must be considered by the member states and the European Parliament. The two institutions must negotiate an agreement before anything becomes law in the EU.
It may thus take months before new rules are agreed upon, which may become law in the EU and include Norway as part of the EEA agreement.
Will have stricter requirements
Transport Minister Nygård says in his input to the Commission, dated 2 January, that Norway supports stricter emission requirements for heavy vehicles and ambitious targets for phasing in electric vehicles.
Nygård also writes that even though electric heavy vehicles are more expensive, an increased share can be seen in Norway, and he offers to share the Norwegian experience with the EU.
According to the letter from Nygård, 7 percent of new heavy trucks registered in Norway in 2022 were electric. This is up from 1 percent of the previous year.
The current target for Norway is that 50 percent of trucks must be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The government has asked the Norwegian Road Administration, in collaboration with Nye Veier and Enova, to put in place a plan for charging stations for heavy vehicles along the national highway network, which shows where and when establishment is needed.
Going in the wrong direction
The transport sector is one of the major culprits when it comes to emissions of greenhouse gases. Last summer there was a comprehensive report from the EU’s environmental agency in Copenhagen where it is established that it is going in the wrong direction.
An increase in heavy transport by road is one of the reasons why emissions from this part of the transport sector are increasing.
Anyone about the passenger cars
The EU has agreed on stricter emission requirements for passenger cars and rules which make it practically impossible to sell diesel and petrol-powered passenger cars after 2035. Norway has warmly supported this, but primarily wanted this to be introduced from 2030.
These rules are part of the large package called “Fit for 55”, which enables the EU to cut emissions by 55 percent by 2030. But so far, heavy transport is lagging behind.