Collection: Biofuels statistics

Information on the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO). It includes the percentage of road fuel supplied in the UK that is made up of renewable fuel and well as information on its sustainability.

Most of the statistics are derived from data held by the RTFO team, which administers the RTFO in the United Kingdom.

Changes to future reporting years

In April 2018, legislation took effect amending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) to:

• increase the targets for renewable fuels to 9.75% of fuel supplied in 2020 with further incremental increases out to 2032
• set targets for the supply of renewable fuels classified as ‘development fuels’, starting in 2019, to increase the incentives to supply the new types of advanced fuels which are of strategic future importance to the UK, including renewable aviation fuels
• place a limit on the contribution that renewable fuels produced from food crops can make to meeting targets, setting that limit at 4% in 2018, 3% in 2026 and 2% in 2032
• ensure that wastes which would be disposed of are eligible for greater incentives than those which have other productive uses
• change from financial to calendar year reporting, with period 11 being a short obligation period from April to December 2018 to bring about this change

We previously consulted on these changes to the RTFO and have since published the government response to the consultation. These changes will take effect from Obligation Period 11 (April to December 2018) and we will be amending future statistical reports and tables to reflect the important changes to the data. We are currently conducting a user survey on the changes we are proposing to make to the statistical reports and tables, and we welcome any comments. This survey will close on 24 August 2018. You can also contact us by the email below.

Technical information

This section provides technical information, notes and guidance relating to biofuels.

The RTFO requires suppliers of fossil fuels to ensure that a specified percentage of the road fuels they supply in the UK is made up of renewable fuels. As well as obliging fuel suppliers to meet targets for the volumes of biofuels supplied, the RTFO requires companies to submit reports on the carbon and sustainability of the biofuels.

The information contained in the provisional quarterly reports is based on unverified claims made by suppliers. It should be viewed as indicative rather than definitive. Verified data is published annually and can be found via the links below. Those using these statistics should be aware that while in the majority of cases there is little discrepancy between a company’s provisional and verified data, in some instances the difference has been significant. Further information on provisional data is contained within the reports themselves.

Biofuel statistics: notes and definitions

National statistics

All of the statistics published in this series are Official Statistics. The department’s view is that all statistics which are not designated as National Statistics are robust and have been produced to a suitable standard.

Pre-release access list

The post holders given access to these statistics up to 24 hours prior to release are available in the Biofuels statistics pre-release access list.

See all statistics published by DfT

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