27.06.08 Renewable energy plan boosts biofuels
Government plans to sharply increase the amount of energy from renewable sources could lead to a significant rise in biofuel production in the UK.
The renewable energy strategy, which was unveiled by Business Secretary John Hutton on Thursday, aims for 15% of renewables by 2020.
Mr Hutton said the plan would create up to 160,000 new jobs in various sectors, amongst others in the area of agricultural biofuel production.
The strategy was announced on the same day the Gallagher report was published, a government study which finds that biofuels impact considerably on the global food crisis.
“The discrepancy between the government report and the energy strategy is obvious”, said Friends of the Earth’s national anti-biofuels campaigner Kenneth Richter.
“The government is now arguing that dropping the biofuel target would make it more difficult to hit the renewable energy target.
“But we believe that there are other forms of renewable energy which are much more efficient.”
Biofuel company D1 Oils communications director Graham Prince also criticised the new government strategy.
“Seeing as we’ve just had to close all our refining capacities for financial reasons, it should have come a lot earlier.
“I think the government hasn’t defended its policy as proactively as it should have. Investors have lost confidence in the sector, and I don’t think the new policy will change that.”