Biofuels in New South Wales
The New South Wales Government is ensuring that ethanol-blended petrol is becoming widely available, through a mandate requiring from 1 October 2007 that 2% of the total volume of petrol sold in NSW is ethanol.
This means that cheaper, cleaner and greener fuel is available at more petrol pumps in New South Wales.
Biofuels, such as ethanol, are good for the environment, create jobs in regional NSW, help farmers, and reduce our reliance on foreign fuel imports.
This does not mean that all fuel sold will contain ethanol, but provides you with a choice at the pump to fill up with E10 petrol, which contains a blend of 10% ethanol.
Under the ethanol mandate, primary petrol wholesalers need to ensure that ethanol makes up the defined minimum percentage of the total volume of NSW sales.
Petrol companies are ramping up the availability of ethanol biofuels which means more ethanol-blended petrol is available at more NSW petrol pumps.
Most NSW cars that use ULP can safely use 10% ethanol-blended fuel (E10).
The ethanol mandate is designed to encourage broader use of ethanol and other biofuels in NSW.
A state-wide 2% average ethanol content was achieved in September 2008, less than 12 months after the commencement of the mandate.
When amending legislation commenced on 1 October 2009, it:
-
increased the volumetric ethanol mandate to 4% (from 1 January 2010) and later 6% (from 1 January 2011, later deferred until 1 October 2011), before requiring all regular grade unleaded petrol to become E10 from 1 July 2011 (later deferred until 1 July 2012);
-
introduced a volumetric biodiesel mandate, initially 2% (from 1 January 2010), increasing to 5% when sufficient supply of biodiesel is avalable;
-
broadened the volumetric mandate obligations to apply to major retailers as well as primary wholesalers; and
-
established a sustainability standard for biofuels.
The legislation provides mechanisms for flexibility regarding implementation dates, which will primarily depend on the biofuels supply situation.
On 31 January 2012, Premier O'Farrell announced that legislation would be introduced to remove the requirement for all regular ULP to be E10.
Deferral of Ethanol Mandate Increases
On 30 June 2011 the NSW Government announced that it would continue the current 4% ethanol mandate until 30 September 2011.
On 28 September 2011 the NSW Government announced that the scheduled increase in the ethanol mandate to 6% would go ahead on 1 October 2011.
On 22 December 2011, the NSW Government announced that the scheduled increase in the biodiesel mandate to 5% would be suspended until there is sufficient local production to meet the mandate.
Removal of requirement for all regular grade ULP to be E10
On 31 January 2012 Premier O'Farrell announced that legislation would be introduced to remove the requirement for all regular ULP to be E10.
Legislation was introduced on 15 February 2012.
Find out more about the NSW legislation and answers to common questions about biofuels.
