REA comments on DfT consultation on E10

Commenting on the DfT’s consultation on E10, launched today, Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the REA said:

“We are really pleased to see this long-awaited consultation on E10 launched today. The REA has been campaigning for a mandate for E10 for years because bioethanol is a truly sustainable biofuel and it’s fundamental to decarbonising transport. Furthermore, its production accounts for many high quality jobs in the North East and it is totally integrated in UK agriculture.

“The document also contains a call for evidence on two other key measures we have been asking for, increasing the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) target, and a continuation of the greenhouse gas target. Our modelling shows that the RTFO target needs to be increased from 9.6% to at least 15%.

“If the Government wants to hit its legally-binding Carbon budgets 4 and 5 which take us out to 2032, it will require significantly higher ambitions and reductions. We hope to see this in the final policy. ”

—ENDS—

For more information or to request an interview, please contact:

Hayley Allen

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Notes to editors

E10 is petrol containing up to 10% bioethanol.
E10 is currently available in the Baltic countries, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary Luxembourg the Netherlands, Romania and Slovakia. The CZ Republic will introduce E10 later this year and very likely Austria too, and Poland will introduce E10 in 2021. In Bulgaria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands and Romania E10 is the main petrol blend (98% of the petrol market) and in France the E10 share is around 60%. Slovakia, Hungary and Lithuania will be introducing it in early 2020.
It is the European test fuel for type approval fuel consumption and emission testing of petrol cars since 2016.
Introducing E10 would assist the UK in achieving its GHG reduction targets – saving the equivalent emissions of taking hundreds of thousands of cars off the road – while also being delivered at a low carbon cost relative to other options.
Bioethanol is produced in the North East of England using locally-grown feed wheat..It provides a domestic market for feed wheat and its by product is an important animal feed, and is an alternative to importing soy based feed from South America. For more information download the All Party Parliamentary Group report on its E10 Enquiry (https://www.britishbioethanol.co.uk/single-post/2019/07/16/E10InquiryFINALReport).
The REA’s modelling shows that with current trends impacting on the volumes of road transport fuels consumption (increasing electrification, improved vehicle efficiency and Heavy Goods Vehicles turning to biomethane) with no change in the target, the absolute amount of sustainable biodiesel used in the UK will fall from 2 million litres to around 0.8 million litres by 2032. In order to prevent biofuels’ contribution to greenhouse gas reduction from falling the target should be increased significantly.

The REA is calling for,

Introduce E10 to permit greater volumes of renewable fuel to be blended
Increase the basic target levels within the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to increase decarbonisation in transport
Retain the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Regulations
Introduce incentives for higher blend biofuel uptake in heavy duty vehicles and non-road mobile machinery
Introduce more pragmatic rules to encourage the production of hydrogen from renewable electricity, for use directly as a transport fuel or for use in the production of renewable drop in biofuels and aviation fuel

About the REA

The REA is the UK’s largest trade association for renewable energy and clean technologies with around 550 members operating across heat, transport, and power. The REA is a not-for-profit organisation that represents renewable energy and clean technology companies operating in over fourteen sectors, ranging from biogas and renewable fuels to solar and electric vehicle charging. Membership ranges from major multinationals to sole traders.

For more information, visit: www.r-e-a.net