Energy Saving Obligations and White Certificates: Ideas and Considerations for the Transport Sector

A lot of policy interest and analysis has been focused on energy saving obligations on energy 5 distributors or suppliers (mainly electricity and gas)coupled with trading of certified energy savings via tradable white certificates. While in the European Union the Energy Services Directive (2006/32/EC) also applies to transport fuels and some of the existing energy saving obligations allow certification of savings from transport projects, as of end of 2009 no EU Member State has energy saving obligations on transport fuel distributors. The paper explores the application of energy saving obligations in road transport, discussing the imposition of energy saving obligations on transport fuel suppliers, the definition of eligible technologies and projects, and considering energy saving obligations as a stand-alone tool or integrated with existing electricity and gas obligations. The paper intends to open further discussion and research on the topic.