CropEnergies lauds new German biofuels plan

23 November 2007 04:33  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Germany’s plan to achieve biofuels blending of 10% in the near term will make its alternative fuels sector much more sustainable, bioethanol maker CropEnergies said on Thursday.

 

The government’s commitment to higher blending ratios - along with a pledge this week by its car industry to offer more vehicles capable of running on higher blends - would support CropEnergies' plans to triple bioethanol capacities to 750,000 cubic metres/year by 2009/2010, it said.

 

Germany’s government announced on Wednesday a “roadmap for biofuels” which aims, among other measures, to boost bioethanol and biodiesel blending to 10% on a volume basis.

 

Federal environment minister Sigmar Gabriel also pressed measures - including a certification system - to ensure that imports of biomass would only be possible if their cultivation was proven to be environmentally sustainable.

 

“We will not stand for the destruction of forest and land in other parts of the world to produce palm oil that is then offered here as a supposed environmentally-friendly raw material,” he said.

 

German car makers, which backed the government plan, said they were supporting an even higher longer-term blending target of 20% by 2020.

 

The car industry was particularly keen on next-generation biofuels that were emissions-neutral and would not interfere with global food supplies, said industry association VDA.

 

Bookmark Simon Robinson's Big Biofuels Blog for some independent thinking on biofuels  

By: Stefan Baumgarten
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