China biodiesel demand to double by 2017: report

In China, a new report from ResearchinChina says biodiesel consumption in China is expected to double by 2017 from 2013 levels, to as much as 2.,5 million tons per year or higher. The report authors said that in 2013, China’s total capacity of biodiesel exceeded 3.7 million tons per year, but output attained 1-1.2 million tons per year, indicating the capacity utilization was not high. The development of biodiesel started late in China, according to the report’s authors; China released Renewable Energy Law and National Standard for Biodiesel (B5) Blend in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

The authors saaid that “following the formal implementation of consumption tax at the biodiesel import links on January 1, 2014, coupled with other policies support as well as the optimism of enterprises about the biodiesel market, there are still many biodiesel projects proposed and under construction in China. As of the end of May 2014, major biodiesel projects proposed and under construction have boasted a combined capacity of over 2.7 million tons per year.”

Overall, the authors found that during 2006-2013, global biodiesel output grew rapidly from 6.5 billion liters in 2006 to 24.6 billion liters in 2013, at a CAGR of 20.9%. There are little changes in the global distribution of biodiesel production, mainly concentrated in Europe, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, and so on. The world’s ten largest producers contribute to nearly 75% of global production.