UK issues 304 million RTFCs in first five months of year 10

The UK government issued 304 million Road Transport Fuel Certificates in the first 5 months of the year 10 compliance period, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Transport (DfT).

Supply of renewable fuel in year 10, which runs from 15 April 2017 through to 14 April 2018, totalled 419 million litres, roughly 3% of the total road and non-road machinery fuel, the department said.

Of the 419 million litres, 179 million litres were demonstrated to meet sustainability requirements. Of this 43% was sourced from bioethanol, 52% from biodiesel and 5% from biomethanol.

Of the fuel that was issued with RTFCs, around a third was sourced from the UK, with cooking oil the most widely-used source for biofuel from the UK, accounting for 20% of total sustainable fuel.

The most common source of bioethanol was Ukraine corn, which accounted for 10% of sustainable fuel.

Total greenhouse gas saving was 80% excluding land use change, and 76% with, the department said.

While the RTFC issuance may appear low, the issuance levels and the percentage of total fuel sourced from renewables are broadly in line with year 9 issuance at this same time last year.

A lag between paying duty on the fuel and claiming RTFC credits means the issuance picture does not become clear until almost a year after the obligation year ends.

In a separate report released Thursday, the DfT said Year 10 issuance now stands at 2,445 million, slightly below Year 9 issuance of 2,492 million.

The lower issuance is largely as a result of a decline in total renewable fuel supply to 1,541 million litres from 1,570 million in Year 9 as well as a likely lag in RTFC requests for renewable fuel supplied.

According to the data, around 1.58 RTFCs are issued for each litre of biofuel and with 65 million litres of total biofuel supplied but not issued RTFCs, the total issuance figure could rise by 100 million, eclipsing Year 9’s figure.

The final issuance figures for year 9 will be published in February alongside details indicating whether the scheme was long or short.