The RTFO on target a year later
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) is delivering on its promise to provide green, sustainable transport fuels despite a Government slowdown on targets one year after its introduction, the Renewable Energy Association says.
The RTFO was intended to ensure that 2.5% of all fuels used came from renewable sources as from 15 April 2008. However, an error in the drafting of the legislation meant that only around half this figure has actually been achieved.
With new bioethanol plants set to open in the UK in 2009 and 2010, the industry will continue to build on its initial success, producing good biofuels that are both sustainable and deliver real greenhouse gas savings.
Around 8% of the biofuel going into the UK supply chain is manufactured in this country from UK feedstocks produced by sustainable UK agriculture.
Most of the UK-produced biofuels are currently coming from British Sugar’s bioethanol plant at Wissington, and Argent Energy’s biodiesel plant near Motherwell. Compared to biofuels sourced from other countries these fuels have delivered an average greenhouse gas saving of 71%, compared to an average of 46% delivered overall. According to the Renewable Fuels Agency 99% of UK biofuels are sustainable, compared to just 18% overall.
‘When the RTFO was introduced last April there was a lot of concern about whether biofuels might do more harm than good. Since then the UK biofuels industry has demonstrated that good biofuels are produced in this country. These results have been confirmed by the Government’s own Renewable Fuels Agency,’ Clare Wenner, head of Renewable Transport Fuels at the Renewable Energy Association, says.
‘At this time when the economy needs stimulating, more investment in biofuels can help the environment and provide green jobs,’ she adds.
UK biofuels are set to grow over the next 12 months with the opening of the Ensus plant later this year at Wilton, Teesside, that will produce 400 million litres of bioethanol, and the Vivergo plant in Hull, also producing bioethanol from wheat in 2010.
The longer term prospects for UK biofuels are positive as a result of the targets set in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive. This obliges the UK to use up to 14% biofuels by the year 2020.
The RTFO was intended to ensure that 2.5% of all fuels used came from renewable sources as from 15 April 2008. However, an error in the drafting of the legislation meant that only around half this figure has actually been achieved.
With new bioethanol plants set to open in the UK in 2009 and 2010, the industry will continue to build on its initial success, producing good biofuels that are both sustainable and deliver real greenhouse gas savings.
Around 8% of the biofuel going into the UK supply chain is manufactured in this country from UK feedstocks produced by sustainable UK agriculture.
Most of the UK-produced biofuels are currently coming from British Sugar’s bioethanol plant at Wissington, and Argent Energy’s biodiesel plant near Motherwell. Compared to biofuels sourced from other countries these fuels have delivered an average greenhouse gas saving of 71%, compared to an average of 46% delivered overall. According to the Renewable Fuels Agency 99% of UK biofuels are sustainable, compared to just 18% overall.
‘When the RTFO was introduced last April there was a lot of concern about whether biofuels might do more harm than good. Since then the UK biofuels industry has demonstrated that good biofuels are produced in this country. These results have been confirmed by the Government’s own Renewable Fuels Agency,’ Clare Wenner, head of Renewable Transport Fuels at the Renewable Energy Association, says.
‘At this time when the economy needs stimulating, more investment in biofuels can help the environment and provide green jobs,’ she adds.
UK biofuels are set to grow over the next 12 months with the opening of the Ensus plant later this year at Wilton, Teesside, that will produce 400 million litres of bioethanol, and the Vivergo plant in Hull, also producing bioethanol from wheat in 2010.
The longer term prospects for UK biofuels are positive as a result of the targets set in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive. This obliges the UK to use up to 14% biofuels by the year 2020.
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