Latest news with #IrishBioenergyAssociation
Agriland
31-07-2025
- Business
- Agriland
IrBEA: Govt cannot leave liquid fuel imports to the EU
The publication of heads of bill for the proposed Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) has been welcomed by members of the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA). However, according to the IrBEA there are fundamental scheme design items which must be urgently clarified and confirmed to encourage investment in indigenous fuel production, and for the obligation scheme to achieve its stated objectives. It claimed that Ireland is the worst performing member of the EU in the deployment of renewables in heating, and that RHO can provide an opportunity for the development of the solid biomass, bioliquid, and biogas/biomethane sectors. The CEO of IrBEA, Seán Finan said that the publication of the RHO heads of bill is a welcome first step. Finan outlined that on review of the heads of bill, members are concerned about some of the fundamental design items outlined in the document. Among the concerns raised by members, is that the obligation rate is only set for the first two years. IrBEA believes that this gives no ivestment certainty for renewable fuel producers, particularly the biomethane sector. The long-term ambition of the obligation scheme must be confirmed now rather than in year three, as indicated. IrBEA said that, at a minimum, the government must immediately publish the obligation rate for 2030, and the projected ambition beyond this. According to IrBEA, the heads of bill do not outline how the government is going to meaningfully address the issue of fraud prone liquid biofuel imports from non-EU unsupervised supply chains fulfilling the obligation. It claims that this fuel is having a "devastating impact" on indigenous biofuel production under the Renewable Transport Obligation Scheme (RTFO) and must be addressed in the RHO primary legislation. Finally, concerns were raised that the additional renewable energy certificate for biomethane produced in the state is "inadequate" to create a level playing field for indigenously produced biomethane over imported renewable gas. Finan said: "It is disappointing that the government has chosen not to meaningfully address the concerns raised regarding imports in the high-level design of the RHO. "This item needs to be considered and urgently addressed in the drafting of the primary legislation for the RHO." "The government cannot simply leave the liquid fuel imports issue in the hands of the EU, to address, but must take responsibility and implement its own measures and controls,' Finan added.
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
‘High-risk' biofuel imports dominates Irish market
Official figures show that biofuel imports from 'high-risk' sources dominate the Irish market, threatening climate goals and damaging producers here, a leading industry group warns. The Irish Bioenergy Association said on Thursday that while figures from the National Oil Reserves Agency show that biofuel consumption here rose 24 per cent last year, most of the growth came from high-risk jurisdictions, including Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Ukraine. The industry here argues that biofuels from those countries cannot be verified and fears that they are products that do not qualify as sustainable mis-labelled as hydrogenated vegetable oil. James Cogan, chairman of the association's transport group said that one third of all biofuels sold here in 2024 came from 'supply chains widely believed to be fraudulent'. READ MORE He pointed out the products could include virgin palm oil and soy oil disguised as waste oil to falsely qualify for sustainability incentives. 'These imports are cheaper but deeply damaging,' he added. Hydrogenated vegetable oil accounted for 31 per cent of the market here, but 75 per cent of it came from outside the European Union, mostly high-fraud prone countries, said Mr Cogan. 'Meanwhile, Irish biomethane's share fell from 70 per cent in 2023 to just 21 per cent in 2024, overtaken by high fraud risk Malaysian 'used cooking oil' and German food waste, both being used to produce biogas,' he added. 'This, in the same period as the Government launched its National Biomethane Strategy seeking a 40-fold growth in Irish biomethane production by 2030.'
