Biofuels sustainability below target - Renewable Fuels Agency report
Sat 17 January 2009
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The Renewable Fuel Agency's (RFA) second quarterly report shows that, overall, 20% of biofuel is meeting the Government's target for sustainability - below the 30% target for 2008/9. Provisional data for the first 6 months of the year shows that ConocoPhillips, Greenergy and Mabanaft are exceeding the Government's targets but that several companies are selling product that is well below them.
The RFA's second report says that the performance of the top three companies shows that good performance is achievable. However, the RFA is "disappointed" that other companies - including Chevron, Esso, Murco, Prax and Topaz - are currently well below some targets. Prax and Topaz have failed to report any data at all on the origins of their biofuels. Thie RFA says that this "suggests that it is unlikely that these companies will meet the Government target for the year that 30% of biofuel should meet environmental sustainability standards".
The RFA says that there are 9 fossil fuel companies performing well below the target, and until these start sourcing more certified sustainable fuel it will be very hard to reach.
The RFA CEO Nick Goodall said: ‘We believe that biofuels should be sustainable. The first half year's experience of the RTFO in the UK, and the good performance of several companies, are demonstrating that the biofuels industry can meet sustainability standards. The challenge for us now is to raise performance across the board."
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