France Aims to Lift Maximum Biodiesel Blend Level

France will probably raise the maximum level of biodiesel that can be blended with standard diesel within a few months, a move key to reaching the country’s ambitious biofuel targets, a farm ministry official said.

“We are working on a rise of the blending ceiling. If we raise it to seven percent we should be able to meet the 5.75 percent target,” Bernard Chaud, biofuel specialist at the farm ministry, told Reuters.
France, the second biggest European producer of biodiesel after Germany, has set a goal for biofuels to account for 5.75 percent of calorific value of fall fuels sold in the country by the end of next year and seven percent in 2010.

Biofuel industry players have praised the objective, which goes beyond targets set by the European Commission. But they have said a strong obstacle is presented by current EU legislation that limits to five percent the volume of biofuel that can be directly blended with fuels.

Because biofuels have less calorific value than fossil fuels, the volume of biofuel sold will need to amount to 6.6 percent of all fuels — above the current ceiling — in order to reach 5.75 percent in calorific value, biodiesel makers said.

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