ADDRESSING THE TAXATION ISSUES...
Link to the Conference Program
Download the Conference Tickets pre-booking Form
We are proposing an open conference to discuss the issues of obstruction by the government to those who are running vehicles on Straight Vegetable Oil or who are making SVO as a bio-fuel. The aim of the conference is to hear the problems experienced by those attending, to discuss the underlying issues, and then to propose a way ahead. It is suggested that we should form a new Association similar to Bio-power or within Bio-power to present a united front for those who wish to pursue this form of technology. The name of this might be the Straight Vegetable Oil Association (SVOA), or The Better Bio-fuel Association (BBFA). May be somone will come up with a better name.
The event will take place on Saturday 10th December, at the Novotel Hotel, Union Street, Wolverhampton. There will be a nominal change of £15.00 to cover the cost of the event, but pre-booked tickets will be issued at £10.00 each. Further details will be posted on this web page. Click this link for a map to the venue.
This event is open to those who are affected by the position now being taken
by the government. We will not be inviting speakers from the government at
this stage, but we can propose another event of that sort to raise the profile
of the underlying issues, and we can then invite speakers from the government
or ministerial officials to explain themselves.
As part of the event there will be an opportunity to vitit the Diesel Veg
workshops run by Nick Hicken and Clive Leadbetter. Further information
about their range of equipment to support the use of SVO can be found at
www.dieselveg.com
The event will also include the Bio-power AGM which will be open to Bio-power
members only.
A buffet lunch service is available at the hotel at £14.50, and there are other restaurants in the local area.
Click this link to down load a map with directions to the venue
If you need any further information then you can contact us through
svoconference@bio-power.co.uk
Volunteers needed...
We will need people to help us stewards, and tellers if we have any vote or elections. If you live near the Wolverhampton area and can help us as a steward, then please contact us at svostewards@bio-power.co.uk
Likewise if you are able to provide people with accommodation on the Friday
evening then also please let us know in plenty of time to post this information
on the web site.
Background….
We in Bio-power are very concerned that the Customs & Excise are very clearly now targeting all who seem to be making a bio-fuel other than by the transesterification method. There is no requirement in legislation that bio-fuel must be transesterified in order to meet the criteria for the bio-diesel tax break.
The primary aim of Bio-power is to 'provide real alternatives to the use of fossil fuels'. By 'real' we mean fuels that are the same price or slightly cheaper than their fossil equivalents, and also fuels that can be used with the minimum of alteration to vehicles or engines. Because of this we favour the technique in which bio-fuels are blended to achieve a mixture of non-fossil sourced components that will achieve the best performance in terms of emissions and engine efficiency. We strive to provide a bio-fuel alternative that can become commonplace.
There are basically two methods to successfully use vegetable oils as a road fuel, you can either modify the vegetable oil or modify the vehicle. Bio-power generally has pursued the former approach and makes a blended fuel without transesterifu-ication that can be used at 100% in most vehicles just like mineral diesel. The two tank system favoured by others is equally valid and actually enables the burning of very simple bio-fuels. The environmental benefits of running on pure plant oils clearly provides the best environmental solution. Therefore we oppose strongly any attempts made by the British government or Customs & Excise Officers to obstruct or discourage the development of these alternatives. "
Bio-power does however, have one reservation. We do support the position of the government in the requirement that food quality vegetable oils as purchased from the supermarket shelf should not be used as a road fuel in any circumstances. This material is highly selected for use as a food. it is then processed to make it of a very consistent molecular form. This processing does not add any value to its use as a fuel, indeed we find that fuel made from moderately used oil is better than fuel made from virgin oil, probably because of the greater variety of molecular types, however pure cold pressed rapeseed oil produced for fuel use and not refined for use as a food material is acceptable. We therefore support the requirement that oils used for bio-fuel production should be 'used' or 'waste'. "
Bio-power also hold that the British Bio-fuel industry should not be regarded as the new waste receptacle for the disposal of British waste oil. If we want to promote a quality bio-fuel industry in Britain then we need to use quality used vegetable oils. It is for this and other reasons that bio-power collect discriminately their own oil from local pubs, restaurants, canteens, as a non-waste material, and we process it outside the waste stream.
Bio-power also propose that there should be a provision to enable and encourage the growing on other forms of plant oil that are more suited to use as a fuel. Rape seed oil is a high energy oil, but becase it is mainly used for cooking or quenching it does not release its energy readily. There are other plant oils that can be rown in the UK that are not so suitable as a food material but can be used as a fuel. There should be a provision to allow the use of these virgin oils as a fuel feed stock.
Bio-power have many times asked the government for clarification whether new oil produced by British farmers will meet the low tax criteria. The answer has been repeatedly that any oil used to make fuel must be used or waste if the fuel can claim the low tax break. This effectively closes the possibility for British farmers to profitably produce energy feedstock. The next question is 'do all the materials used in the production of biofuels at the low tax rate have to meet the criteria for 'used' or 'waste''? The answer we have been given to this question is 'Yes'? It therefore follows that the Caustic Soda and Methanol used in the production of bio-diesel must also be used or waste!
It should also be pointed out that Methanol is a product of the fossil fuel industry and the carbon atoms it contains are fossil. Bio-diesel made as FAME using Methanol is therefore not entirely a fossil free fuel. SAVO is the purest form of fuel in terms of being totally free from fossil carbon. Driving on SVO ensures the lowest possible environmental impact, and is the only form of fuel that absolutely does not add to the effects of Climate Change and Global Warming.
Further Reading
Follow this link to read letters we have sent recently to Customs Officers who seem to be obstructing the payment of the low duty rate on veg oil and SVO.
Follow this link to read a statement issued
by Bio-power ...
Is the British Government doing enough to encourage the use of alternatives
to fossil fuels?
written by John Nicholson, September 2005
This event is being organised by ...
John Nicholson
and Nick
Hicken,
Bio-power UK Ltd
Diesel
Veg
Tanrallt, Rhostryfan,
Unit 7A Monmore
Business Park,
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
Dixon Street, Wolverhampton
LL54 7NT
WV2 2BT
01286 830312 01902 450001
10th October 2005
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