A global effort to quadruple the global output and use of sustainable fuels by 2035 will eventually gain significantly greater international backing and provide a boost to energy transition efforts, Engie chairman Jean-Pierre Clamadieu said on Friday.
The "Belem 4x" pledge, which Brazil proposed in September, has so far attracted support from only three other countries — Italy, Japan and India. But Clamadieu said he expects at least another 20-30 countries to join because of the role sustainable fuels can play in decarbonising the economy.
"I think everyone will wait a bit before signing, because people want to study to make sure that all the aspects have been taken into account. But again, I think this pledge will have a big success," he told reporters on the sidelines of a world leaders' summit being held ahead of the UN Cop 30 climate talks, which start on 10 November in Belem, northern Brazil.
The Brazilian government has said global collaboration is needed to meet the Belem 4x goal and will help lower existing barriers, such as high costs, the lack of clear demand signals and the need for investment in new infrastructure. The pledge's goal is to use sustainable fuels and other technologies to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from electricity generation and from hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, maritime transport and the cement and steel sectors.
"We won't be able to decarbonise if we don't have green molecules that can be used as fuel," Clamadieu.
The focus on sustainable fuels is a natural complement to the pledge to triple renewable energy by 2030 that 118 countries signed on to at Cop 28 in Dubai in 2023, according to Clamadieu.
"I think it's really it's a bit of a missing piece today, when you look at energy transition," he said. "What was really missing in this Dubai commitment was this issue of green molecules."
