Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 May 2014
140. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if all biofuels are legally permitted to be used in agricultural and domestic vehicles here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20801/14]
View answerThe Biofuel Obligation Scheme, which was introduced in July 2010, places an obligation on all road transport fuel suppliers to include a certain proportion of biofuel in their overall fuel mix. In order for biofuel to be eligible for inclusion in the scheme it must meet certain sustainability criteria as set out in the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive. That is, biofuels must not be made from feedstocks sourced from certain categories of land, and must achieve certain greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Although the Biofuel Obligation Scheme does not apply to the disposal of fuels used for off-road vehicles, such as those used in the agriculture sector, there is no prohibition on the use of biofuels in such vehicles. Where biofuel is used in off-road vehicles it is categorised as gas oil and must comply with the regulations on fuel standards as set out in Statutory Instrument 155 of 2011 which were introduced by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to transpose the Fuel Quality Directive.
The Regulations also permit the sale of petrol with up to 10% bioethanol and diesel with up to 7% biodiesel and require that fuel suppliers must provide information on biofuel content to reduce the risk of fuelling vehicles with incompatible fuel. Further information on the Directive and Regulations can be found at: www.environ.ie/en/Environment/Atmosphere/AirQuality/FuelStandards.
