Imports Fuel Benelux Biofuel Efforts

WASHINGTON - Feb 11/06 - SNS -- The Netherlands and Belgium are not expected to be able to meet their ambitious goals for biofuel usage in the coming years without importing the ingredients needed to make the fuel.

Dutch ports already import large volumes of fuel wood, palm derivatives and ethanol destined to be used as biofuel, notes the U.S. agricultural attache for the country. Opportunities for U.S. and Canadian exporters lay in the supply of fuel wood, soybean oil and other vegetable oils and grains. Biofuel usage targets were to replace 2% of petroleum needs last year and 5.75% by 2010.

Due to the small arable crop area, The Netherlands is unable to produce sufficient feedstock for its projected demand of renewable energy sources. Because of this dependency on feedstock sources outside of The Netherlands, most of the biofuel plants will be located at seaports, such as in the Rotterdam port area and at the Eemshaven in the North of The Netherlands.

The Belgian Government is more focused on supporting production of biofuels from grains and oilseeds harvested in the DU. Belgium will assign a quota for the production of 350,000 MT of biodiesel and 150,000 MT of ethanol, which equals projected domestic demand in 2010. An important part of this production will be produced in the so-called Ghent Bio-Energy Valley, starting in 2007. From this location grain intervention stocks are easily accessible as near this location Euro-Silo, an intervention silo, is located.

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