| Call for an immediate moratorium
on incentives for agrofuels, EU imports of agrofuels and EU agroenergy monocultures. www.econexus.info Biofuels Progress Report. Commission of the European Communities. (January 10, 2007) In 2000, Europe's oil imports stood at 9 million barrels per day (mbpd): 2 from Africa, 3 from the Middle East and 4 from Russia and the CIS. The global palm oil production increase has been driven by the food market, not the biofuel market. Testing Framework for Sustainable Biomass (Cramer Commission) International NGOs: Dutch report on Biomass Sustainability Criteria lacks vision from the South ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... |
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| Press Release November
13, 2006 Regional quote - RWE npower statement regarding future use of Palm Oil RWE npower has decided not to go ahead with the conversion of its oil-fired power station at Littlebrook in Dartford to burn 100% biomass. The key reason for the decision has been the impact of strict sustainability criteria RWE npower set itself, which build on the minimum standards established by the Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil1. Ensuring these highest standards meant it was not possible to source the large volumes of palm oil required to make the conversion economically viable. Kevin Akhurst, Managing Director of Generation and Renewables at RWE npower said: “Use of biofuels in energy generation has huge potential, but it has to be appropriate use. We are proud to have solved the technical issues involved in such a large-scale and ambitious project, even though in the final analysis the project was not feasible.” “Given the importance of moving to a low-carbon economy, it is vital for energy companies to give a serious examination to all projects with potential for significant carbon savings,” he said. Phil Allen Littlebrook Power Station manager, “This decision will mean its business as usual at the power station. We will continue to generate power at peak demand playing an essential role in delivering electricity to the South East of the country." RWE npower has no current plans for future palm oil purchases, and would consider any future use against the same three criteria of commercial, technical and sustainable viability. Notes to Editors: 1.Palm Oil is grown principally in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote the production and use of sustainable palm oil through the development, implementation and verification of credible global standards, along with the engagement of stakeholders throughout the supply chain. The standards are designed to encourage production processes that do not contribute to deforestation, promote poor or illegal labour practices or displace indigenous peoples. 2.As part of its investigations RWE npower undertook audits of suppliers’ plantations to ensure that palm oil procured for the Littlebrook project would conform with its sustainability criteria. It required that its suppliers confirmed that they do not contravene the UN Global Compact (a code of ethics). It instituted an ‘Identity Preserved’ chain of custody system to ensure that the palm oil used would have originated from plantations audited to assess sustainability practices. RWE npower also undertook a ‘Life Cycle Analysis’ assessing the carbon emissions associated with the growth, harvesting, processing and transportation of the palm oil to ensure a real and substantial carbon benefit. A complete, peer-reviewed ‚‘Life Cycle Analysis‘ would have been made available in the event that the project progressed. RWE npower is the UK's largest electricity supplier. It generates electricity and supplies gas, electricity and related services to around 6.8 million customers through its retail business npower. The company operates and manages a flexible portfolio of power stations, and is a market leader in renewable energy development through its wind and hydro business npower renewables. http://www.npowermediacentre.co.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=961&NewsAreaID=2 |
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| United Kingdom: Concern for rainforest
forces RWE to scrap palm oil project Move is blow to biofuels promotion, Sustainability of supplies questioned Source: Copyright 2007, Times (UK) Date: January 1, 2007 Byline: Carl Mortished A leading German utility has abandoned plans to convert a British power station to run on palm oil, in a blow to the promotion of biofuels in Europe. The decision by RWE npower to scrap the project at its Littlebrook plant in Dartford, Kent, which was seen as a test case for palm oil as an alternative energy source, comes after it was unable to secure sufficient supplies without risking damage to tropical rainforest. The move highlights the mounting alarm over the scramble in South-East Asia to bring more land into palm oil cultivation. Widely used in processed foods, such as margarine, and in cosmetics, palm oil is burning bright on commodity exchanges. The price in Rotterdam soared to an eight-year high last week of $620 per tonne, buoyed by fears that floods in Malaysia would damage production. It has risen by more than 50 per cent over the past year in expectation that the burgeoning market for biodiesel will transform a previously dull commodity into the fuel of the future. The Indonesian Government has signalled that 40 per cent of its palm oil crop will be designated for biofuel production in an attempt to reduce the country’s reliance on crude oil. RWE npower had hoped that palm oil would produce electricity in a carbon-neutral process that would not add to greenhouse gas emissions. According to a spokesman for RWE npower, the process works but the company was unable to guarantee that enough palm oil could be bought from sustainable plantations. “There wasn’t enough palm oil that we could demonstrate was sustainable,” the spokesman said. “The bottom line is: are you contributing to global warming by chopping down rainforest?” The company hired independent auditors to establish whether palm plantations in Malaysia could be accredited to standards set by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, an organisation committed to promoting a sustainable palm oil industry. Close attention paid to the RWE project by environmental groups, such as Friends of the Earth, did help to tip the balance against palm oil, RWE’s spokesman admitted. The environmental group claims that 87 per cent of deforestation in Malaysia between 1985 and 2000 was caused by palm oil plantations. Other groups, such as World Wide Fund for Nature, have mounted vigorous campaigns to save the orang-utan, which is threatened by deforestation in Indonesia. Further opposition is brewing in the European Parliament, which is considering a ban on imports of non-sustainable palm oil. This stance brings it into conflict with the European Commission, which is anxious to promote biofuels in its drive to reduce European carbon emissions. Public concern about rainforest wildlife is ringing alarm bells among UK supermarket groups. Several groups have joined the Round Table, hoping to develop an effective scheme that will guarantee sustainable palm oil. Originally posted at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9072-2525637,00.html http://www.forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=65688 |
