Spain’s biofuel output to more than double in 2007

03 August 2007 16:56  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Spain’s biofuels production will reach 1m tonnes this year, more than twice 2006 levels, as a slew of new production plants come on stream, research firm DBK said in a report released late on Thursday.

In 2006, production reached 445,000 tonnes, up 45% from 2005. Production value totalled €320m.

For 2008, DBK forecasts output could leap to 2.4m tonnes as leading producers such as Abengoa, Cepsa, Acciona and others expand capacity.

In the January-April period, three new biodiesel factories came on line, putting 968,000 tonnes of capacity in the market and boosting the factory count to 19, 15 of biodiesel and four of bioethanol.

DBK said domestic biofuel sales rose 18.9% in 2006 to 241,849 tonnes while exports totalled 200,000 tonnes, up 95% from 2005.

In 2008, there could be 50 mills, helping the country churn out 2.4m tonnes of cleaner fuel, DBK said.

The report comes as Spanish producers have raised the issue of rising biodiesel imports from the US, which they say threatens the local industry. It has asked the government to intervene by subjecting the imports to Spanish tax.

By: Ivan Castano Freeman
+44 20 8652 3214

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