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The resource center is designed to guide interested parties into the Southern African Biofuels Sector.Please note that these are extracts of the actual articles - To download an article simply use the [click here function].SABA StrategyBiofuels are solid, liquid and gaseous fuels made from renewable vegetative resources and include bio-ethanol, which can be blended with petrol, biodiesel, which can be blended with diesel, bio-ethanol gel, biogas and biomass. While the main use of biofuels is in the transport sector, biofuels are also import fuel sources for heating and power generation. South Africa is a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol and hence has an obligation to reduce its reliance on energy sources that contribute to the generation of greenhouse gases. [ Click here to download pdf.] Possible reforms to the fiscal regime applicable to windfall profits in South Africa’s liquid fuel energy sector, with particular reference to the synthetic fuel industryThe possibility exists of excessive economic rent arising in the mining and sale of oil and gas resources. To address this the Task Team recommends that the tax authorities should either introduce a linkage between royalty levels and the respective commodity price curve in the Royalty Bill, or incorporate a progressive tax mechanism into the schedule of the Income Tax Act that ultimately replaces the OP26 mining lease currently in operation. [ Click here to download pdf.] The Impact of Biofuels Production on food securityA multifeedstock approach is crucial for sustainable biofuel production in South Africa. In respect of ethanol production, biofuel producers should be allowed to draw on a range of starch-based crops including maize. A multifeedstock approach will enable producers to select crops best suited to the agro-climate of the regions where their plants are situated and to minimise logistic costs by sourcing crops grown closest to their plants. In recent months, plans to use maize to produce ethanol have raised concerns that this could jeopardise food security in South Africa. This paper therefore concentrates on impact on food security when maize is used to produce ethanol.[Click here to download pdf.] |
