South Africa edges closer to biofuel use

The South African Department of Energy (SA DoE) will publish its final set of mandatory regulations concerning blended biofuels use next month.

As well as revealing the initial ratio of blended fuels using bioethanol and biodiesel, the regulations will also define who, from cane farmer to dispenser, gets paid what in its production. The SA DoE issued draft regulations a year ago and has reviewing feedback from concerned parties affected by the proposal.

‘We have also considered comments from the office of the chief state law adviser and are now in the process of finalising these regulations to obtain the minister of energy’s approval to publish final mandatory blending regulations. It is anticipated that the final regulations will be published before the end of July,’ the SA DoE said in a statement.

It also said that financial support for biofuels manufacturers will also be part of the regulatory system.

According to the South African Sugar Association there are currently 29,130 registered sugar cane growers annually producing an average of 19.9 million tonnes of cane viable for use as a feedstock.