Germany invests €50m in biofuels research

08 April 2008 14:43  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Germany’s federal ministry for research and education plans to spend €50m ($79m) over five years on biomass research projects to produce biofuels and related products, it said on Tuesday.

 

“Research is key to ensure that biofuels will make a major contribution towards our energy supplies,” said Thomas Rachel, under-secretary at the ministry.

 

Biofuels had a future in Germany, Rachel added with reference to the country’s current debate over the use of biofuels.

 

Last week, Germany’s government decided to scrap plans to raise the bioethanol blending target to 10% because of the large number of cars not able to run on such high blends.

 

The research ministry’s funding would go to universities and industry, including the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, a research group that was working to produce synthetic fuels and chemicals through pyrolysis and the gasification of biomass, the ministry said.

 

Earlier, Germany’s environment ministry said it would provide €30m of additional funding for a biomass research centre in Leipzig.

By: Stefan Baumgarten
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