Preem in Lysekil has received SEK 3 billion in so-called green credits from the state to switch from oil refinery to producing renewable biofuels. Biofuels are produced from, for example, offal, rapeseed and wood residues.
"I am convinced that what we are doing here is right, that we should replace fossil fuels with renewable ones," says Mattias Backman, Project Finance Manager at Preem.
Criticism from the environmental movement
But from parts of the environmental movement, including Greenpeace and Fridays for future, comes sharp criticism. Among other things, because biofuels emit at least as much carbon dioxide as regular gasoline and diesel when burned in our cars. But that carbon dioxide is not visible when greenhouse gases are reported to the UN.
In climate negotiations, the UN and the EU have agreed to offset emissions from, among other things, biofuels against the removal of carbon dioxide in nature, especially of the forest in so-called carbon sinks.
"The awareness that biofuels are greenwashing and a false climate solution has certainly increased. If you burn biofuels, there will be greenhouse gas emissions, just like when you burn fossil fuels, says Anton Foley of Aurora, a group of over 600 young people who on Tuesday were given the go-ahead to try their lawsuit against the state for failing to act in the climate crisis.
"And then they come up with fairy tales that it would be renewable, fairy tales that we would have decades or centuries to reduce our emissions – but we are in a crisis. Emissions must be reduced now, he continues.
'Major climate damage'
There is also criticism from researchers:
"I see that a sharp increase in the use of biofuels will inevitably lead to major environmental and climate damage," says Stefan Wirsenius, associate professor of environmental and resource analysis at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg.
SVT has sought Minister of Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari (L).