Biofuel Supply Chain Stakeholders Create Strategy For Liquid Fuels
On January 22, 2020, three trade associations announced the launch of a strategy to tackle the transition into 100 percent biofuels for heating oil in English and Irish homes. A United Kingdom (UK) based trade association, the Oil Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) has partnered with the Tank Storage Association (TSA) and the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA) to launch a future vision for liquid fuels, titled “Supply Chain Strategy for Liquid Fuels.” Detailing the necessary steps to achieve 100 percent biofuel use to replace heating oil in 1.5 million UK homes and 686,000 Irish homes, this liquid fuels strategy sets five key challenges to be addressed by the government in the following order:
- Encourage and support energy-efficient measures in the immediate term to improve the performance of buildings and their services. This method will reduce energy demand and cost for households’ use of technology.
- Support supply chain preparations to accept a 30 percent fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and 70 percent kerosene blend fuel into existing installations by 2027, including an industry-led field trial built on work previously undertaken by OFTEC and the University of East Anglia.
- Support supply chain preparations to accept a low-carbon (0 percent fossil) liquid fuel by 2035 following a full evaluation of boiler and tank fleet and successful field trials of all possible future products that may come from the UK or European sources.
- Be actively involved in transitional communication work with consumers utilizing the relationships that the trade association members already have with consumers.
- Encourage UK-based and European suppliers to evaluate all new low-carbon/GHG fuels and technologies that are already being developed and coming to market, including gas to liquid (GTL), hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), e-fuels, and other liquid fuels made from waste materials.
Calling for support, the three associations stated: “Our industry is committed to creating a supply chain capable of distributing a 30% biofuel 70% kerosene blend from 2027 and 100% low-carbon liquid fuel by 2035. We are therefore calling on the Government to work together with industry to support and benefit rural communities across the country and set out a clear roadmap to the decarbonisation of heat, with regulation that will provide confidence to the market by providing a clear trajectory to work towards realising our future vision.”