BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe is likely to
pump out increasing amounts of bioethanol over the next 10 years,
posting gradual annual output rises as an EU-imposed deadline nears for
boosting renewable energy, an industry official said on Monday.
While
wide discrepancies remain among the European Union’s 27 countries in
terms of their bioethanol industries, overall production has jumped
exponentially since the EU launched its first biofuels directive with
renewables targets in 2003.
“Last year we saw a strong
increase in output again, around 60 percent higher and mainly due to
France and its very ambitious target,” said Rob Vierhout,
secretary-general of EU bioethanol fuel association eBio, based in
Brussels.
Last year, EU producers turned out 2.82 billion
liters of bioethanol, up from 1.80 billion in 2007. Back in 2004, EU
output was just 528 million liters, industry figures show.
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