Biofuels - At What Cost?

This report examines the potential economic impacts and fiscal burdens on the United Kingdom government and consumers if the national biofuel blending mandate were increased to 10 or 15 per cent to meet the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED) target of 10 per cent renewable transport fuels by 2020.

• The United Kingdom is evaluating policies to meet the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED), which requires 10 per cent of transport fuels to be renewable by 2020, as current blending policies may be insufficient to reach this goal.
• The study analyzes the costs associated with increasing the U.K. blending mandate from its 2011/12 level of 4 or 5 per cent to either 10 per cent or 15 per cent. The investigation covers several cost drivers, including government administration of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), agricultural subsidies under the CAPs Single Payment Scheme, potential tax revenue losses from reintroducing biofuel tax exemptions, fuel retailer handling expenses, increased consumer prices, and potential engine damage.

APA

Charles,, P. W. (2012). Biofuels - At What Cost? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/biofuels-what-cost-mandating-ethanol-and-biodiesel-consumption-united-kingdom

Chicago

Charles,, Peter Wooders,Chris. Biofuels - At What Cost? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/biofuels-what-cost-mandating-ethanol-and-biodiesel-consumption-united-kingdom.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Charles, |first1=Peter Wooders,Chris |title=Biofuels - At What Cost? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=3 February 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/biofuels-what-cost-mandating-ethanol-and-biodiesel-consumption-united-kingdom |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{charles2012biofuels, author = {Charles,, Peter Wooders,Chris}, title = {{Biofuels - At What Cost?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/biofuels-what-cost-mandating-ethanol-and-biodiesel-consumption-united-kingdom}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }