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Will there be anybody around in Europe producing Biofuels by the end of 2oo8? European Biofuels industry runs into its first crisis
It’s not a secret anymore: the European Biofuels Industry is running head over into its first mayor financial crisis. Feedstocks are short in supply and prices going up; Locations, scale of production and technology are not based on best practise/expertise nor along official policies. Policies are not aligned on national and EU level either. NGO’s and other institutions question the environmental profile as well as potential food vs fuel consequences. Part of the trade is behaving like cowboys and is going for the quick money instead of developing a sustainable business. Local production is threatened by the US export subsidy scheme (B99)
Concluding: Is the Biofuels industry in Europe at a turning point? Are we moving along a typical learning curve or is it more fundamental? Especially Ethanol and biodiesel production have been affected; first cases of closure of production sides are reported, production sites stopped producing with net profit margins you can’t show at home. European farmers say they can’t produce feedstock for biofuels as sales prices are much to low. Biofuels producers say they can’t produce because prices are much too high… Banks are silently stepping out and skip biofuels from their portfolios to redirect their investments to other sectors…What ever happened to the “silver bullet” called Biofuels? What will become of it now? Should Europe just drop the whole idea? Should we admit we did it wrong? That we didn’t understand the basics of this industry like Brazil and United States?
The EC in the meanwhile just goes on and says obligatory blending must be on the road by 2009. The question is: Do politicians understand what is happening? Will there be anybody around in Europe producing feedstock or biofuels by the end of 2oo8?
Will petrol companies be willing to accept blending without even having a quality guide line or an environmental or CO2 impact analysis of the biofuels they are supposed to buy overseas and blend?
What are the options? Imports!? That wasn’t the idea at all when this whole thing started, but if one wants to live up to EC requirements, imports are a must anyway. Was this whole idea of producing biofuels in Europe a mistake? Or isn’t it? Is there something that can be done to safe and boost this European initiative? What measures should be taken NOW? Who can and will survive? Who can’t? Would feedstock or product import solve the problem? How far would it be feasible at all?
European Policy on the introduction of biofuels is standing on the edge of failure. Time for some in-depth analysis, fact finding and debate about what to do now and where to go from here on. Time for some Change Management!
European Biofuels SUMMIT 2oo8 will debate the above in full detail, but we have more for you: André Baken (48) (www.changemanagamentspain.com), well known international future searcher and change manager, will organise the day before the Summit – on the 21st of April 2008 - a one day fact finding and re-conduction workshop for biofuels. Only 80 key stakeholders can participate in this interactive dynamic, coming from finance, agro, food/feed, biomass and biofuels industry, I&D, public sector, political field, media and whoever feels he should be there. Baken will handpick all those interested to create a widest possible spread to guarantee inputs from all stakeholder fields and thus useful outputs. Working language will be English.
The agreed on and consolidated outputs / results and recommendations from this Workshop will be published on the first Day of the SUMMIT and will be handed out to all Media. They will also be published on www.biofuelsummit.info.
Interested to participate? Send a mail to info@biofuelsummit.info or call +34 902 364 149.
Cost of participation is 638,--€ (incl. VAT) and includes working materials, coffee breaks and lunch.