Bioethanol production in Germany increases 5.2%, demand drops 3.7%

Bioethanol production in Germany increases 5.2%, demand drops 3.7%

Germany produced 370,484 tonnes of bioethanol in the first half (H1) of 2015, a 5.2% increase year-on-year, the German Bioethanol Industry Association (BDBe) data reveals.

However, while production grew, demand for bioethanol declined by 3.7% to 562,459 tonnes.

Food crops were the most used feedstock for bioethanol production with 63.4%.

There was also a 21.1% rise from last year in the use of sugar beet, with a total 131,608 tonnes used in H1, taking a 35.5% share.

Just 4,154 tonnes of ethanol were produced from other sources, including food waste.

The sale of bioethanol in fuel blends, on the other hand, declined 1.1% to 501,550 tonnes.

Demand for ethyl tertiary butyl ether or ETBE declined by 20.2% to 57,848 tonnes and sales of E85, an 85% ethanol-blended petrol, fell by 29.5% to 3,698 tonnes.

According to BDBe’s CEO Dietrich Klein Germany’s greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for transport are not working as planned.

He urges German decision makers to introduce the 4% emissions reduction legislation for the fuel sector already in 2016, one year earlier than originally planned.

Biofuels Plantation Services International