Green Generation receivership highlights the need for decisive and swift Government action on non-EU biofuel fraud – IrBEA

For Immediate Release:

07/03/2025

The news this week that Green Generation had gone into receivership is very regrettable and highlights the need to urgently address the fundamental issue of fraudulent activity in the non-EU bioliquid supply chain, with this biofuel severely impacting business here.

Seán Finan CEO of IrBEA said: “The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) is gravely concerned and distressed to hear that Green Generation had gone into receivership this week. We strongly empathise with all those involved in Green Generation including the staff,  its owners and all connected with the company who have work tirelessly to build up this flagship biomethane business over decades.”

For many years now, IrBEA and its bioliquid and biomethane members have very strongly highlighted the issue of fraudulent activities in the non-EU biofuel supply chain and the detrimental impact of this activity has had on business including Irish bioliquid and biomethane producers.

 

Finan said: “Over the last few years, IrBEA and its members have encountered a reluctance by Government and the broader fossil fuel industry to even admit that there is a problem and issue with fraudulent activities in the non – EU biofuel supply chain. To make matters worse, and despite stringent opposition from IrBEA bioliquid and biomethane members, in 2023, the Government proceeded to give non-EU biofuel additional renewable energy certificates which has completely distorted the biofuel market to the detriment of Irish producers.”

Finan continued: “The Government needs to immediately remove eligibility of fraudulent non-EU biofuels to fulfil compliancy requirement in the Renewable Transport Obligation (RTFO) scheme and also in the proposed Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) scheme. While we welcome that the Department of Transport has issued a notification of commencement of a statutory consultation in relation to the exclusion of Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) from the award of additional RTFO certificates, removing the additional half certificate as proposed, only legitimises the fraud and does not go far enough. IrBEA members call for all certificates to  be removed from (POME) fuels.”

IrBEA continues to engage with the Department of Climate, Environment and Energy on the scheme design for the Renewable Heat Obligation.

Finan concluded: “For the RHO to be successful, non-EU sourced biofuel must be excluded from fulfilling compliance requirements. It is proposed that compliancy will be inter-tradable between fuels. If non-EU biofuels are not excluded, this fuel will fulfil all the RHO compliancy requirements. This is at odds with the RHO objective to develop an indigenous biomethane industry in Ireland. Indigenous biomethane production must be incentivised and supported ahead of cheaper imported biomethane. The Government has mechanisms at its disposal, including multipliers coupled with an increased obligation ambition, to assist in the development of the biomethane industry in line with the Government targets and the biomethane strategy. Addressing the liquid and gaseous fuels import issue is fundamental to providing market certainty to investors and unlocking biomethane investment.”

ENDS.

For Further Information Contact: Seán Finan IrBEA CEO on 087 4146480

Notes to Editors:

Non-EU liquid biofuel supply chain fraud information

The volumes of declared non-EU waste vegetable oil are simply not possible. The Indonesian government recently declared a crisis in palm oil markets, caused by so much virgin palm oil being falsely certified as waste and diverted into biofuels feedstock.  Indonesia exported 5 million tonnes of “waste” when only 300,000 tonnes was generated. Malaysia certifies and exports tens of times more “used cooking oil” than it could possibly generate.  China during COVID, with all restaurants closed, inexplicably managed to increase collection and export of “used cooking oil” by a factor of five. Ireland currently gets most of its imported biofuels from Indonesia, Malaysia and China. There are series concerns about the lack of supervision of the supply chain certification for non-EU biofuels and feedstocks. Further details and evidence are available on request.