France to promote biofuels in 2007 budget - minister

22 May 2006 17:49  [Source: ICIS news]

PARIS (ICIS news)--The French government wants to introduce ambitious measures to promote biofuels use in its 2007 budget, economy, finance and industry minister Thierry Breton, said on Monday.

"By the end of the decade, I want the market to offer vehicles that can run on petrol or on practically pure biofuels," he said prior to his visit with French President Jacques Chirac to Brazil, a major producer of ethanol from renewable sources.

Breton is a strong supporter of ethanol as a renewable fuel additive rather than alternative biofuels.

On his return he said he intended to set up a task force of automobile constructors, agricultural sector representatives and consumers to deal with the technical, taxation and regulatory problems raised by a flexible fuel system for France.

Breton said he wanted to provide drivers with a choice between fossil fuels and renewables by 2010 by introducing so-called ‘flex-fuel’ in service stations.

Breton said France’s biofuels development plan was already under-way as the government had decided to incorporate 10% of biofuels in motor fuels by 2010. Since 2005 plans have been submitted for 16 biofuels plants valued at about Euro2bn ($2.6bn).

By: Doris Leblond
+44 20 8652 3214

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