UK Agency Pushes Biofuels

The UK Government has launched an agency to enforce the use of biofuels in the British market.

The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) has been established to run the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) – a standard which dictates five percent of all fuels sold in the country should come from biofuels.

The agency is part of a government drive to tackle climate change – the Department for Transport (DfT) believes biofuels could save 2.6 to three million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

"I want the agency to make sure the obligation is run efficiently and effectively, but I also want it to take the lead in making sure the biofuels we use in this country come from sustainable sources, saving the most carbon possible," says agency chairman Professor Gallagher.

The RTFO, due to come into force in April 2008, will apply to refiners, importers and anyone who supplies more than 450,000l of fossil-based road transport fuel to the UK market.

The DfT says it will require five percent of all UK fuel sold on UK forecourts to come from a renewable source by 2010.

By Ozge Ibrahim