Biofuels Enter the Market

One of the most prominent of the alternative sources of energy for transport is biofuels, liquid fuels that can be used for transportation, a sector in which Greece has tremendous potential, with objectives targeted at 91.000 tons of biofuels used by end of 2006 and 190.000 by the end of 2007. Currently, Greece’s two biofuel plants produce 31.000 tons each, the most convenient ones for Greece being biodiesel and bioethanol.

For biodiesel, Greece has a large number of crops that can be used, such as sunflower and cottonseed oil along with rape seed oil. In addition tobacco and tomato oil are promising raw material alternatives.

For bioethanol it is sweet sorghum, which thrives throughout Greece.

Production of these alternative fuels is creating new opportunities for employment in agriculture and forestry, investment in new technology and in the development of cleaner, more efficient industries using natural resources.