The European biofuels market is hugely complex and ever-changing. Within such an environment it is often difficult for oil companies and fuel retailers to make long-term investment decisions. Supported by demand forecasts, this brief makes recommendations for different fuel retailers in light of the ever-changing regulatory and market landscape for biofuels.

Scope

-The main trends driving biofuels consumption, how these vary between markets, and how fuel retailers have adopted their strategies accordingly.

-An understanding of the five main drivers for biofuels and analysis of how different scenarios could impacts these drivers between 2008 and 2015.

-Three biofuels consumption forecasts to 2015 for eight European markets, based on pessimistic, medium-optimistic and optimistic scenarios

Highlights

Sweden aside, fuel retailers in the EU do not need to offer high blends of biofuels. For price reasons, customer demand for high blends of biofuels remains low and it is not expected to increase in the near future. Nevertheless, EU legislation will continue to oblige fuel retailers to ensure a proportion of biofuels is blended into all fuel sold.

EU and national governmental willingness to enforce biofuels consumption, the production of biofuels and the oil / biofuel cost differential will be some of the main drivers of consumption going forward.

Under any of the three scenarios, biofuels are forecast to represent the highest proportion of road fuel in energy terms in Germany than in any of the other markets covered. In an optimistic scenario, with all of the economic and political drivers at an optimal rate, Germany would continue to surpass its national target by four percentage points.

Reasons to Purchase

-Understand the strategies that fuel retailers have adopted to respond the current trends for biofuels in a variety of different markets.

-Gain insight into the factors driving the consumption of biofuels and how they vary under optimistic, medium-optimistic and pessimistic scenarios.

-Support investment decisions by understanding where biofuels usage will be highest and which types of biofuels will be the most popular.



Pages: 28
Publication Date: 10/2008
Publisher: Datamonitor