First cut of UK 2023 data shows RTFC issue tripled year-on-year

The first release of provisional 2023 biofuel data from the UK government has shown a near-tripling in the issuance of renewable transport fuel certificates (RTFCs) and a substantial pick up in biofuel and mineral oil fuel usage year-on-year.

The data, released August 9, shows 1.5 billion RTFCs had been issued up to early July, substantially above the 659 million tickets that had been revealed in the first provisional 2022 figures released a year earlier.

The total volume of renewable fuel supplied has jumped 73% to 1.97 billion liters, and RTFCs have already been issued against 925 million liters – more than double the 400 million liters at the same point of 2022.

However, the delivery of fuels that have earned development status – usually fuels derived from household wastes or comprised of hydrogen or synthetic biogases – came in at 2 million certificates issued, broadly the same figure as at the same stage of 2022.

The data shows the feedstock was end-of-life tires from Poland, Sweden and Turkey that delivered 460,000 liters of development petrol and 644,000 liters of development diesel.

That was overall a 41% increase compared with 385,000 liters of development diesel and 395,000 liters of development petrol delivered at the same point in 2022, using the same end-of-life tires feedstock augmented by Polish food waste.

Biofuel contribution and categorization

Conventional biofuels reported a much bigger increase in contribution, with fuels categorized as using a general feedstock – often known as non-crop in the industry – increasing 130% to 594 million liters, 99.5% of which was derived using a double counting feedstock.

For 2022, 100% of the feedstock supply was deemed to be double-counted, but increased mandates and sharper competition for prized double-counted feedstocks is likely to undo some of the progress made under the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO).

That compares with a 130% increase in general biofuels, rising to 594 million liters, and a 134% increase in crop-based biofuels to 330 million liters year-on-year.

Used cooking oil (UCO) was the biggest single feedstock, with the equivalent of 380 million liters of renewable diesel supplied, while corn was the second biggest contributor listed as 186.5 million liters of ethanol.

View our article on UCO supply and traceability

The 2023 compliance year raises the blend mandate to 14.22% of the total fuel supply, of which 3.5% of the total supply can be derived from crop-based feedstocks.

Of the balance, 1.15% should be development fuels, with the remaining 9.6% labeled as general biofuels – typically sourced from waste-based feedstocks.

Typically the UK government provides updates on biofuel outlooks on a quarterly basis.