In an interview with PAP, the director of the National Chamber of Biofuels said that thanks to the introduction to the market from January 1 this year. 95 gasoline with 10 percent content bioethanol (E10), the domestic production of bioethanol in 2024 “has a chance to set a historical record”. “After the first quarter of this year, the production of bioethanol amounted to approximately 130 thousand cubic meters and was higher than in the first quarter of last year by almost 30 thousand cubic meters. At that time it amounted to approximately 100 thousand cubic meters.” – said Stępień, citing data from the National Center for Agricultural Support (KOWR).
“Such an increase in production is really what we expected from the market”
“Such an increase in production is really what we expected from the market,” Stępień admitted, noting that in the first months of this year, sales of E10 gasoline were just “starting up.” The director of KIB pointed out that, taking into account that the peak in gasoline sales will fall during the holiday season, the demand for bioethanol will continue to grow and, as a result, its production and use of the raw material, which is cereals (primarily corn grain), will increase. .
According to Stępień, the annual production of bioethanol for the fuel market has so far amounted to just over 400,000. cubic meters – thanks to increasing its addition to 95 gasoline – it may potentially increase by as much as 150-200 thousand. m6, so up to 550-600 thousand. cubic meters annually.
“The production of ethyl alcohol in Poland in total, from the perspective of data for 2023, amounted to approximately 550 thousand cubic meters, of which over 400 thousand cubic meters is the alcohol market, which becomes a biocomponent in the form of bioethanol. This shows the hegemony of the fuel market – as its recipients,” commented Stępień. He pointed out that the market for ethyl alcohol production throughout Europe is currently arranged in such a way that without bioethanol as a fuel additive, its production would have to be reduced almost four times.
Corn is a key raw material in the production of biocomponents
Stępień also pointed out that the introduction of E10 gasoline resulted in an increase in the consumption of corn for biofuel purposes by 45,000 in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. tons – up to 260 thousand tone. “The total consumption of corn for biofuel purposes may even reach 1.5 million tons per year,” said the director of KIB.
He added that corn is the raw material that benefits the most when it comes to the pool of raw materials used for the production of biocomponents. He also pointed to the greater consumption of agricultural distillates produced from domestic grains. “The increased share of domestic cereals as a raw material for the production of biocomponents is strengthened by the use of cereals in the production of agricultural distillate, which after dehydration becomes bioethanol,” he added.
In Stępień’s opinion, “certainly” the domestic share, and therefore the volume of corn and cereals intended for the production of bioethanol, as well as the production of bioethanol itself, could be even greater if Polish bioethanol constituted all purchases of domestic fuel producers. “But this is not the case (…) There is a certain amount of imports that result from certain decisions related to hedging the market by fuel entities implementing the NIT,” he noted.
According to KOWR data, 12 companies currently produce bioethanol in Poland. The largest producers are Bioagra, BGW, Grupa AWW, Ima Polska, Distilleries Polskie, Podlaskie Distillery Surwin.
author: Anna Bytniewska
