2023 Bioethanol Market Data: Rising Sales of Bioethanol in Petrol │ Drop in Domestic Bioethanol Production
Berlin, April 19th: The German Bioethanol Industry Association (BDBe) has published the 2023 market data for production and consumption of certified sustainable bioethanol in Germany. Domestic bioethanol production amounted to 670,585 tonnes in 2023, over six percent lower than in 2022. Positive developments in E10 sales over the previous year continued in 2023.
In a recovering fuel market, which saw sales of 17.4 million tonnes of petrol, over three percent higher than in 2022, blend levels for bioethanol in the petrol grades Super Plus and Super (E5) also rose to 6.8 percent by volume (2022: 6.7 percent by volume). Consumption of bioethanol blended with Super E10, Super Plus and Super (E5) or used to produce ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) increased significantly by almost five percent to just under 1.25 million tonnes (2022: 1.19 million tonnes).
Super E10’s market share in terms of total petrol sales also continued to grow in 2023: from 23.7 per cent in 2022 to almost 26 percent. The absolute sales volume of Super E10 was 4.5 million tonnes, compared to 4.0 million tonnes in 2022. Super (E5) achieved a 69 percent market share with 12.0 million tonnes in 2023. Sales of 12.1 million tonnes of Super (E5) in 2022 corresponded to a market share of almost 72 percent. Last year, Super Plus moved above the 2022 level with a market share of 5.0 percent, while sales hit almost 880,000 tonnes (4.5 percent market share with sales of almost 759,000 tonnes).
German bioethanol production declined in 2023; with total production of 670,585 tonnes, it fell by over six percent compared to the previous year.
In particular, production of bioethanol based on sugar beet pulp dropped significantly by 30.7 percent compared to 2022, while bioethanol production from feed grain also fell slightly by 3.5 percent. In total, in 2023 German biorefineries processed 550,000 tonnes of sugar beet and around 2.6 million tonnes of feed grain to generate sustainably certified bioethanol and other co-products, such as GMO-free protein feed, biogenic CO2 or organic fertilisers and biogas. The bioethanol produced is also deployed as a sustainable non-fossil precursor in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, for example in the production of sustainable plastics, disinfectants and cosmetics. The food and beverage industries are also important clients for bioethanol producers.
In all likelihood, Germany’s greenhouse gas reduction quota will ensure stable sales trends for renewable fuel components and thus also for bioethanol this year; the GHG quota is scheduled to increase gradually until 2030, rising from 8 to 9.25 percent in early 2024 and to at least 10.5 percent from next year. Extensive 2023 market data with further infographics and details on bioethanol production and consumption are available in our in-depth market data report