The International Energy Agency predicts that by 2020 there will be twice as many cars on the road as there are today.
And with transport emmissions being a major source of pollution globally, there is a growing need to make our fuel greener by reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector - coupled with the fact that oil reserves are rapidly depleting so we need to find an alternative fuel for the future.
Biofuels are essential in
de-carbonising the transport sector, and despite a growing array of other forms of transport energy such as electric vehicles, plug in hybrids and compressed natural gas, it is widely accepted that these alternatives will not make a material difference until at least 2030. Demand for liquid fuel will continue to soar globally, largely due to our reliance on the internal combustion engine.
Biofuels cover 2 main forms - bioethanol which is added to petrol and biodiesel which is added to diesel.
At Vivergo we will produce bioethanol and the volume we produce will make us the largest producer in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. We will be the best that we can be and will deliver biofuel in a way that is sustainable and responsible derived from renewable feed stock using the UK feed-grade wheat surplus.
The carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted when the biofuel is burnt in the vehicle is offset by the CO2 absorbed during the growing of the crop. Our bioethanol will offer GreenHouse gas (GHG) savings in excess of 50% over standard petrol, the equivalent of removing 180,000 cars from the road. It’s a truly green production cycle.
In Europe, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) currently sets a 10% target for energy from renewable sources in transport by 2020. In the UK, the Government remains committed to achieving this, which means that in 2020 biofuel may make up 10% of your what’s in your tank, every time you fill up. Biofuels currently make up around 4% of transport fuels used today. To achieve the 2020 target, the UK will need 6.5 billion litres of biofuel every year!
Vivergo represents a £350m investment in UK renewable/manufacturing but the overall bioethanol industry could be worth at least £1bn per annum to the UK economy by 2020.
Biofuels matter today as they are the key to our transport energy supplies tomorrow.