Up to 6,000 ha for biofuel

CROPS from 5,000 to 6,000 hectares (12,500 to 15,000 acres) of Irish crops will be processed for the 16m litres of biofuels on which the Government has announced €6m in excise relief.

The move is a boost for the fledgling biofuels industry, said IFA president John Dillon. But, he said, it represents only a substitution rate of 0.1% of fossil fuel, and the EU transport biofuels directive obliges Ireland to substitute 2%.

Biofuels are renewable transport fuels which have significantly less damaging carbon dioxide emissions than their fossil fuel equivalents.

According to IFA vice-president Raymond O’Malley, Ireland can produce 100,000 tonnes of vegetable oil from 50,000 to 70,000 hectares.

“By 2010, we will be required to meet a substitution target of 5.8% versus 2% today. This will require the establishment of a bioethanol industry using wheat or sugar beet as a substrate.”

The new government scheme allows for €3m per annum in excise foregone on biofuels in 2005 and in 2006, equating to the production of 6m litres of pure plant oil, 1m litres of biodiesel or other biofuel complying with diesel standard EN590, and 1m litres of bioethanol.

Pure Plant Oil is made from oil seed rape, and is used in vehicles with modified engines (engine modification costs about €1,500).

Bio-diesel is also made from oil seed rape, or from recovered vegetable oil and tallow, by blending with diesel in a 5% mix.

Engine modifications are not required to vehicles. (Recovered vegetable oil is no longer permitted as animal feed, a regulation in effect since November 2004).

Bio-ethanol is made from sugar beet or wheat.

It is blended with petrol in a 5% mix for use in standard petrol engines, or up to 85% mix for use in flexible fuel vehicles.