Some biofuel firms enjoy ‘unfair advantage’

ONE of the country’s biggest petrol retailers is calling on the Government to continue an excise relief scheme for the sale of biofuels, describing the current market as an unfair playing field.

Motorists should start seeing greater availability of eco fuels at Irish forecourts next year as petrol retailers work toward an end-of-year deadline before which 2% of their annual sales must be from biofuels.

However, Chevron, owner of the Texaco brand, has said that other biofuel companies are operating at an unfair advantage with some having been granted extended excise relief licences, which will remain in place until 2010.