Europe's use of biofuels nearly doubles.

• Author: Herro, Alana
• Position: EYE ON EARTH - Brief article

Biodiesel, ethanol, and other biofuels accounted for 1.8 percent of the European Union's transportation energy in 2006, compared with just 1 percent in 2005, according to the May 2007 Biofuels Barometer. The 25 EU member countries consumed 5.38 million tons of oil equivalent (mtoe) of the fuels last year, up from 2.99 mtoe in 2005.

[GRAPHIC OMITTED]

Germany was by far the regional leader, consuming 3.3 mtoe of biofuels, with France a distant second. Biodiesel, derived mainly from rapeseed oil, accounted for nearly 73 percent of Germany's biofuel use, followed by straight vegetable oil (18 percent), and ethanol (9 percent). Actual European biofuels growth is believed to be somewhat higher than reported because five smaller consumers--Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia--did not provide estimates for the study.

Under a 2003 directive, the EU set a target for biofuels to represent 5.75 percent of the region's transport fuel use by 2010. Political decisions will play a key role in determining national levels of biofuels use, according to the Biofuels Barometer...