Germany ranks 3rd among EU biodiesel exporters

According to recent information published by Eurostat, Germany delivered around 9 percent more biodiesel (FAME) to other EU member states in the first nine months of the 2023 calendar year than in the same period in 2022.

This is the conclusion Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft mbH (AMI) has reached after analyzing the official statistics.

With Germany’s intracommunity exports amounting to 1.6 million metric tons, the country ranks third among the biggest biodiesel exporters of the European Union.

The Netherlands is in first place with 3.1 million tons of FAME (down 9 percent compared to the previous year) and Belgium is in second place with 1.8 million tons (down 5 percent).

As before, the Netherlands is the main market for exports from Germany, as the country acts as the central hub for trade within the EU and with non-EU countries. 

Not only did the Netherlands receive by far the largest tonnage—742,000 tons—but it also took around 34 percent more than in the period of January through September 2022. It is followed by Belgium and Poland.

Poland increased its imports 18 percent to 227,000 tons while Belgium reduced its imports around 32 percent to 349,000 tons.

Exports to Austria saw the biggest rise with shipments tripling to 72,000 tons.

France, in turn, doubled its imports on the previous year to 73,000 tons.

There were also changes in German biodiesel imports.

More specifically, 2023 imports from the Netherlands in the period of January through September rose 12 percent to 706,000 tons year-on-year.

By contrast, Belgium only delivered 164,000 tons, which translates to a drop of around 38 percent.

Imports from Poland virtually remained unchanged from the previous year’s level at 66,000 tons.

German exports of biodiesel made from used cooking oil (UCOME) rose markedly in the period from the first to the third quarter of 2023.

At 228,000 tons, Germany delivered around 17 percent more to other EU member states than in the same period the year before.

Again, the Netherlands was the largest recipient country, taking 182,000 tons—a 9 percent rise year-on-year—followed by Belgium with 25,000 tons and a 43 percent increase.

In contrast, during the same period German UCOME purchases from other EU member states dropped 19 percent to 199,000 tons year-on-year.

Although the Netherlands delivered the lion’s share of 128,000 tons, this was still down 7 percent on the same period a year earlier.

The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP) has pointed out that Eurostat does not record the share of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is important for the German market.

The association has therefore urged to cure this flaw in the official statistical documentation.

HVO has become an important option for meeting quota obligations not only in Germany, but also in other member states.

The UFOP has noted that the number of HVO producers is increasing both in the EU and worldwide.

According to the association, this trend is set to continue, given the technical blending rate limits for biodiesel (B7/B10) and rising demand for biokerosene. 

The UFOP has insisted that import and export volumes within the EU and with third countries should be documented in a timely manner in order to ensure market transparency and assess volume trends.

Since no statistics are kept for HVO, the UFOP has referred to the Evaluation and Progress Report of the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE).

For 2022, the report identifies an HVO import volume—HVO is not produced in Germany—of 385,000 tons from waste oils and 90,000 tons from palm oil for crediting towards greenhouse-gas (GHG) reduction quotas.

Just how much of this can be counted double a result of being classified as waste in accordance with Part A of Annex IX of the RED II is not known or has not been published.