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Last update: 09.07.2011

January 2011

Three companies fined for breaches of UK biofuel rules

Source : businessgreen.com

The UK's biofuels watchdog has today fined three companies a total of £60,000 for failures to comply with environmental legislation designed to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector. The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) hit Yorkshire Petroleum Company Ltd (Yopec) with the maximum £50'000 civil penalty after it failed to meet requirements under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations (RTFO) Order. The company intends to appeal against the charge. Meanwhile, Aral Direkt GmbH, part of the BP group at the time of the infringement, and Total Additifs et Carburants Speciaux, part of the Total group, both received £5'000 civil penalties for non-compliance with the order. The RTFO requires companies supplying more than 450'000 litres of petrol or diesel for use in road transport to match the fossil fuel they supply with a set percentage of biodiesel and report to the RFA on the carbon intensity and sustainability credentials of the biofuel it sells. As with the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme for energy generators and suppliers, companies can choose to meet their obligation by purchasing tradable certificates or elect to "buy out" their obligation by paying a set rate for each litre of biofuel they failed to supply.