New Zealand opens comment period on proposed biofuel mandate
June 22, 2021
BY Erin Krueger
The government of New Zealand on June 13 opened a public comment period on a proposal to introduce a sustainable liquid biofuels mandate that aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation fuels.
New Zealand in 2008 passed a law that would have set a mandate requiring biofuels to account for 2.5 percent of transportation fuel. That law, however, was repealed before it came into effect. A new proposal published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Transport aims to require fuel suppliers to reduce the GHG emission levels of fuels they sell. The requirement would begin at a 1.2 percent reduction in 2023 and ramp up to 2.3 percent in 2024 and 3.5 percent in 2025.
The proposed reduction would apply to all transportation fuels, including domestic aviation fuel. Both domestically produced and imported biofuels could be used to meet the GHG reduction requirements.
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A public comment period is open through July 26. Additional information is available on the New Zealand government website.
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