EU biodiesel output climbs to 35%
Following recent reports of poor output in Spain and Germany, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) has released figures showing EU capacity climbed more than 35% in 2008.
EBB capacity will grow again this year although half the plants are idle due to poor demand, the producers group says.
The European production of biodiesel had reached 7.76 million tonnes last year putting the EU's global market share close to 65%.
However, the EBB qualified the 2008 rise as moderate compared to the jump of 65% in 2005 and 54% in 2006 but the rise was only at 17%in 2007.
'In line with the trend initiated in 2007, the year 2008 saw a relatively small increase in EU biodiesel production, and even a reduction in two major producing Member States, Germany and Austria,' EBB states.
The EU last week endorsed a proposal by the Commission, the 27-member bloc's executive arm, to extend for five years its anti-dumping tariffs against cheap US biodiesel imports. The move was welcomed by the EBB, which had complained that EU producers were being curtailed by US subsidies.
EU producers have also suffered from slumping margins as the fall in crude oil prices over the past year was not compensated by a similar drop in vegetable oils prices.
Even if the EU will have total biodiesel production capacity of close to 21 million tonnes this year, a rise of 31% on the year, the EBB said 2008 and 2009 statistics showed that at least 50%of existing plants remain idle.
EBB capacity will grow again this year although half the plants are idle due to poor demand, the producers group says.
The European production of biodiesel had reached 7.76 million tonnes last year putting the EU's global market share close to 65%.
However, the EBB qualified the 2008 rise as moderate compared to the jump of 65% in 2005 and 54% in 2006 but the rise was only at 17%in 2007.
'In line with the trend initiated in 2007, the year 2008 saw a relatively small increase in EU biodiesel production, and even a reduction in two major producing Member States, Germany and Austria,' EBB states.
The EU last week endorsed a proposal by the Commission, the 27-member bloc's executive arm, to extend for five years its anti-dumping tariffs against cheap US biodiesel imports. The move was welcomed by the EBB, which had complained that EU producers were being curtailed by US subsidies.
EU producers have also suffered from slumping margins as the fall in crude oil prices over the past year was not compensated by a similar drop in vegetable oils prices.
Even if the EU will have total biodiesel production capacity of close to 21 million tonnes this year, a rise of 31% on the year, the EBB said 2008 and 2009 statistics showed that at least 50%of existing plants remain idle.
Loading ...
