Biodiesel bombs

Biodiesel production in Europe dropped last year and illegal imports from countries such as Argentina and Malaysia are being blamed.

Biodiesel production has fallen for the first time in Europe, even though consumption figures have remained stagnant. Although 2010 showed that the production of biodiesel had risen by 5.5% when compared to the previous year, latest figures show that in 2011 production fell.

Issues such as imports from Argentina, the US and Indonesia flooding the market; the debate over indirect land use change (ILUC); and member states not being clear on double counting measures have been attributed to the decline.

‘In 2010, 9.5 million tonnes of biodiesel was produced and although we’re not yet sure of the exact number expected for the 2011 production figures, we expect them to be lower,’ says Raffaello Garofalo, Secretary General of the European Biodiesel Board (EBB). ‘The new regulations are creating some problems for production for the first time in 12 years.’

Read this article in full in the upcoming issue of Biofuels International magazine