EU Curbs Used Cooking Oil in Biodiesel Due to Fears of Fraud
by Valerie Flynn (The Sunday Times) The Department of the Environment has said it may have to alter the statutory instrument promoting biofuels in Ireland after the EU placed a cap on biodiesel made from used cooking oil (UCO) in response to environmental concern about the fuel.
Within the EU, Ireland is one of the heaviest users of UCO biodiesel, which is blended into diesel sold in filling stations.
Ireland imported 130m litres of UCO last year, a third of which came from China. However, partly in response to fears of fraud in the UCO market, the EU has capped the amount of UCO that can be counted towards renewable energy targets after 2020. Ireland is exceeding this cap and will need to increase its use of other forms of biofuel… READ MORE
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Following the publication of this article, Angel Alberdi, Secretary General of EWABA, the EU waste-based biodiesel association gathering EU UCO collectors and producers of UCO-based biodiesel, commented:
“We reject in the strongest terms these allegations from an unnamed source. Unsubstantiated allegations such as this one are scandalously slanderous and to the benefit of our competitors who are trying to smear our industry for their own advantage.”
He added that UCOME delivers the highest GHG savings as stated in the REDII, is produced in commercial quantities and our customers pay a premium to get the most sustainable molecules.
“UCOME is therefore an easy target,” Alberdi said.
He admitted, though, that there was an ongoing investigation in the Netherlands and in the UK.
“If fraud is eventually proved it will be a good outcome as actual fraud is extremely damaging given that fraudsters benefit from a competitive advantage over the immense majority of industry players who are bearing the costs of processing waste oils and of implementing traceability systems,” he said.
“Our industry is currently working with certification schemes and other industry stakeholders to continue improving traceability in the whole value chain as past fraud scandals have erupted in sectors other than ours,” he added. READ MORE
