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Mike CrowlMozambique discusses development of biofuel
December 6th 2007 19:12
Government of Mozambique gathers national stakeholders to discuss sustainable development of biofuel
On 5th and 6th December 2007, the Government of Mozambique, represented by the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy, will bring together stakeholders for a workshop on sustainable biofuel production.
Mozambique, People's Republic of (Press Release) December 3, 2007 -- PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maputo, 3 December 2007,
Government of Mozambique gathers national stakeholders to discuss sustainable development of biofuels in Mozambique
On 5th and 6th December 2007, the Government of Mozambique, represented by the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy, will bring together national stakeholders for a workshop on sustainable production of biofuels in Mozambique. The workshop is a response to the European Commission (EC) request for submission of Mozambican comments on the EC proposed sustainability criteria. The workshop will include key contributions from European representatives, national policy makers, private sector, civil society, as well as biofuel producers. The aim of the event is for government officials and national stakeholders to jointly discuss the possible impact on Mozambique of the European proposed sustainability criteria for biofuels. The workshop and its discussions will also serve as technical input for policy makers in drafting a Mozambican policy framework for biofuels in 2008.
In January 2007, the European Commission elaborated proposals for a new Energy Policy for Europe. The renewable energy roadmap included in this policy proposed a binding 10% target for the share of biofuels in petrol and diesel in each European Member State in 2020, to be accompanied by the introduction of a sustainability scheme for biofuels. The impact of the sustainability scheme is expected to be wide-ranging as it includes all biofuels produced in, or imported by, the European Union.
Mozambique has been identified as a promising biofuels producer, with capacity to produce biofuels for both the national, regional and international market without endangering food security for its population. The Mozambican Government wants to ensure that the establishment of a biofuels industry in Mozambique is carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.
The European sustainability scheme has potentially significant implications for Mozambique as the EU market has been identified as a key market for the sale of both ethanol and biodiesel from Mozambique. The 10% target for biofuels established by the Renewable Energy Roadmap creates a substantial level of demand for biofuels in the EU, which cannot be met by domestic EU production alone.
The Government of Mozambique, via its Embassy in Brussels, Belgium has been asked to submit comments on the proposed EC “Biofuels issues in the new legislation on the promotion of renewable energy” which contains an initial proposal for the biofuels sustainability scheme.
The Commission has requested views on the following four questions:
• How should a biofuel sustainability system be designed?
• How should overall effects on land use be monitored?
• How should the use of second-generation biofuels be encouraged?
• What further action is needed to make it possible to achieve a 10% biofuel share in the EU?
As a response to the EC request for comments, the Government of Mozambique has decided to invite a group of participants involved in activities in, or related to, the biofuels industry in Mozambique to discuss the EC proposal of sustainability criteria. Two additional proposals on sustainability criteria for biofuels have been presented by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. These two proposals will also be discussed during the Mozambican workshop.
The discussion has two key objectives:
• To inform stakeholders of the principal elements of the EC, UK and Dutch proposal and its potential implications for Mozambique in terms of challenges and opportunities.
• To provide a forum for stakeholders to express their views on the proposal to feed into official government comments to be submitted to the EC.
This discussion should form the basis for a set of national sustainability criteria for biofuel production in Mozambique.
For more information contact:
Anna Locke, CEPAGRI, Ministry of Agriculture
258 21 300 626, or 258 82 843 5000
anna.locke@cepagri.gov.mz
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