E10 fuel should be introduced to the UK by 2020 latest to help save the equivalent emissions of 700,000 cars and safeguard the future of the British Bioethanol Industry.

Members of the APPG said the UK introduction of E10 by 2020 at the latest was a ‘no brainer’

That’s the finding of the final report published by the APPG for British Bioethanol on its Parliamentary Inquiry into the introduction of E10 as it calls for the Government to accelerate the launch of the fuel in the UK, saying that such a move is a ‘no-brainer’.

Already available in Europe, the E10 fuel – which usually carries ‘green’ branding – features 10% bioethanol content compared to 5% in standard unleaded petrol in the UK, and is said to offer a 2% improvement in CO2 emissions. It’s already been greeted for its ability to meet transport carbon targets and support the economy, according to organisations including the LowCVP in its report.

The final report by the APPG for British Bioethanol builds on the findings of its interim report published a month ago and sets out that introducing E10 would assist the UK in achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets – saving the equivalent emissions of taking 700,000 cars off the road – while also being delivered at a low carbon cost relative to other options.

It also says that without the swift introduction of E10 – by 2020 at the latest – the British Bioethanol Industry will continue to decline and likely disappear forever resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs. And the UK will likely become dependent on increasingly scarce and less sustainable biofuel from abroad including used cooking oil (UCO) from China.

With the Department of Transport expected to make an announcement later this year on the introduction of E10, following a consultation and changes to the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) as well as its rollout of new fuel labels, the report outlines the APPG’s final recommendations to the Government, including that the Department for Transport should publish its Consultation on E10 without delay.

The APPG also says the Secretary of State for Transport should host an emergency summit on the future of the British Bioethanol Industry before or during the summer recess, bringing together stakeholders to discuss the best course of action to mandate the introduction of E10.

Nic Dakin, the chair of the APPG for British Bioethanol, said: “It is bonkers that the Department of Transport has yet to publish its Consultation on the Introduction of E10. The British bioethanol industry is in a state of collapse, and ministers cannot allow the fog of Brexit to distract them any longer from saving a £1bn industry that will not only make our cars cleaner and greener, but provide thousands of green jobs in the North and prove that the Government is serious about championing the green economy. It is for this reason that the APPG calls upon the Secretary of State for Transport to host an emergency summit on the future of the British Bioethanol Industry before or during the summer recess, in order to quickly agree the most efficient, transparent and cost effective way E10 could be introduced in the UK.

“At a time when petrol fuel sales volumes are increasing, our Inquiry has found that the introduction of E10, that the Government can do at any time, can provide carbon emissions savings equivalent to taking 700,000 cars off the road, improving air quality in our inner cities and providing tangible benefits to UK farmers on the long road to electrification and net zero carbon emissions. This must be a top priority for the Government and we renew our call for a mandate to introduce E10 by 2020 at the latest.”