The Road to Sustainability
The African Sustainable Fuels Centre (ASFC) aims to catalyse the development of the biofuels industry in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by providing support for sustainable biofuels initiatives. Sustainable biofuels are those that adhere to the following principles...
they release significantly more energy in their use than in their production they do not place an unsustainable burden on the nation's water resources they do not have negative impacts on the conservation of natural resources and biodiversity they do not impact on national food security they provide greater self reliance to the poor
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Biofuels Seminar in Africa |
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In response to the rapidly increasing interest in biofuels in Africa the African Union Commission, the Government of Brazil and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) jointly organised the First High-Level Seminar on Biofuels in Africa on 30 July – 1 August 2007 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. |
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Biogas for Better Life, An African Initiative |
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Biogas for Better Life, An African Initiative aims to improve the health and living conditions of men, women and children; to reduce the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking; to improve soil fertility and agricultural production; to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and to create new jobs, through the development of a robust biogas-related business sector in Africa.
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ASFC Submission to the DME on Draft Biofuels Strategy |
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In November 2006, the DME released a draft industrial biofuels strategy for public comment. The closing date for comments is 30th March 2007. The DME draft biofuels strategy is based on a feasibility report drafted by an intergovernmental National Biofuels Task Team. ASFC has based their inputs into the strategy on a review of the feasibility study. Please see the ASFC submission here. |
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Biofuels Strategy – helping small producers to find a common position to input into the strategy |
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The DME has released a document called the Draft Biofuels Industry Strategy which hopes to promote a biofuel industry in South Africa. Parties interested in starting a biofuels business or already producing biofuels on a small scale, have different issues to the big petrochemical companies. |
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Draft biofuels strategy released for comment |
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The draft Biofuels strategy has been released by the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) for public comment. The strategy sets out government's approach to biofuels, outlining a target of 4.5% for liquid fuels by 2013, and proposing that government agencies be encouraged to invest in the burgeoning industry. The biofuels industry strategy has resulted in robust and intense discussions about the issues of food security, genetically modified organisms and the loss of biodiversity - all of which arise in connection with an unsustainable biofuels industry. |
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Feedback from the Biofuels Markets conference |
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Biofuels projects are being reviewed and implemented across the African continent and are seen as one of the biggest economic opportunities for Africa. The Biofuels Markets Africa conference held in Cape Town in November/December drew a variety of participants ranging from university students, non government organisations, large biofuel producers and various government representatives. |
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