Queensland sugar and biofuel industry representatives are urging the Australian federal government to introduce consistent national rules for ethanol and biodiesel as it begins consultations on new regulations for low-carbon fuels, INDaily reported.
Representatives from CANEGROWERS Queensland, Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM), Queensland University of Technology and other groups gathered at Federation Mall to call for a national ethanol blending requirement.
The government earlier this week began consultations on a proposed national system to increase demand for low-carbon liquid fuels, including ethanol and biodiesel.
CANEGROWERS Queensland CEO Dan Galligan described the move as a major development for sugarcane growers and praised the government for starting the consultation.
“The Federal Government deserves credit for the consultation. It is the most significant development in national biofuels policy in decades,” Galligan said.
CANEGROWERS is supporting a nationally consistent and enforceable blending requirement for fuel wholesalers, with the share of Australian-made ethanol and biodiesel gradually increased over time.
Galligan said the presence of sugarcane growers, sugar millers, biofuel producers, researchers, regional representatives and national security experts showed the importance being attached to the proposal.
ASM CEO Ash Salardini said the consultation provided an opportunity for the government to expand the use of ethanol and biodiesel produced in Australia.
He said locally produced biofuels could help address several challenges, including climate change, energy security, rising living costs and the decline of manufacturing and other industries in regional areas.
Australia’s sugar industry processes about 30 million tonnes of sugarcane each year and has the potential to produce more than 2.5 million litres of ethanol annually, Salardini said.
He said ethanol produced from Australian crops could help reduce emissions at a relatively low cost and strengthen fuel security. The sugar industry alone could potentially produce an amount of ethanol equivalent to 14% of Australia’s petrol demand, he said.
Salardini said the industry was not seeking government financial support but wanted the federal government to establish a market for domestically produced biofuels.
“We need big thinking from this Government,” he said.
He added that an effective policy should reduce emissions at the lowest practical cost while improving Australia’s resilience, fuel security and affordability.
Galligan said the federal consultation had created fresh momentum for the country’s biofuel industry.
