The biogas production is
estimated at 4265 ktoe (thousands of tons oil equivalent) for all
of the 25 countries of the European Union. Considering biofuels
produced in the EU, biodiesel represents the largest share of the
with a 79.5% market share in 2004, leaving 20.5% of the market to
bioethanol.
The crude biogas production should
be around 8.6 million toe in 2010, if the growth rate observed last
year is maintained until then. This figure is very much below the
ambitions of the European Commission White Paper that set an objective
of 15 million toe for this date. The three leading European biogas
producers are the United Kingdom with 1473 ktoe, Germany with 1291
ktoe and France with 359 ktoe. The number of industrial participants
decreased during the last two years.
When the current trend in biofuels is compared with European
Commission objectives, it can be seen that the White Paper’s 2010
objective (18 Mtoe) will not be reached. Taking current developments
into consideration, biofuel production is estimated at 2.8 million
toe in 2005 and at 9.4 million toe in 2010. This can, however, change
quickly. The implementation of biofuel sectors in European Union countries
like the United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, Finland, Czech Republic
and still others, could allow Europe to reach its goals.
Source: GP Newsdesk
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