Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to increase the percentage of fuel made from used cooking oil and other waste products.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was amended in 2011 to provide double reward for biofuels derived from wastes.
Since the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was established waste based biofuels have risen from 12% of total biofuel supply in the first year of the obligation 2008/09, to 50% based on the latest full year’s data for 2014/15 (Biofuels Statistics obligation year 7 2015/16 – Report 6). According to our latest but incomplete dataset, covering 2015/16, waste based biofuels have risen to 54% of total biofuel supply (Biofuels Statistics obligation year 8 2015/16 – Report 3).
Used cooking oil from the UK was the most widely reported source under the RTFO for biodiesel in 2014/15 (by feedstock and country of origin) making up 19%. The latest available (incomplete) data for 2015/16 suggests used cooking oil from the UK has risen to 24% of biodiesel.
In addition we have made available a total of £25 million in match-funded grants to construct three demonstration scale advanced biofuel plants in Swindon, Tees Valley and Grangemouth. These projects will convert low value waste to high value transport fuel.
