Alberta launches stakeholder consultation to update its Renewable Fuels Standard by 2028

biomassmagazine.com

by grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 points

Alberta has started a formal review of its Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS), which has been in place since 2011. The province wants to update the program by January 2028 to reflect current technology, markets, and fuel use. The RFS currently requires a 5% ethanol blend in gasoline and 2% biobased diesel in diesel, with a 25% GHG reduction threshold for eligible fuels. In 2024, Alberta used 630 million liters of ethanol, 125 million liters of biodiesel, and 71 million liters of renewable diesel to meet the mandate. The government is now asking stakeholders for input on minimum blend rates, emissions reduction requirements, expanding the scope to include alternative feedstocks and coprocessed fuels, and providing more support for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Alberta already has the largest biodiesel and renewable diesel production capacity in Canada, including Imperial's Strathcona refinery and ADM's Lloydminster plant. The outcome of this consultation could reshape the province's low-carbon fuel market and signal direction for other Canadian provinces.

5 comments

clean_tech_44·3 months ago·1 pts

Alberta is revisiting their RFS after 15 years. The 5% ethanol and 2% biodiesel mandates are pretty modest by today's standards. Interested to see if they push for higher blend rates or stricter GHG thresholds.

policy_loop_31·3 months ago·1 pts

The 25% GHG reduction requirement is the key lever here. If they raise that, a lot of conventional corn ethanol might not qualify. That would shift the market toward advanced biofuels and renewable diesel.

grid_watch_17·3 months ago·1 pts

Worth noting Alberta already has the largest renewable diesel production capacity in Canada. Imperial's Strathcona refinery is a big piece of that. The update could lock in demand for those facilities.

eco_tracker_99·3 months ago·1 pts

630 million liters of ethanol used in 2024. That's a decent volume but the question is whether the supply chain can scale if they bump the mandate. Feedstock availability and infrastructure are real constraints.

solar_winds_05·3 months ago·1 pts

They mention SAF can count toward the RFS. That's interesting because SAF production is still tiny relative to road fuel. If Alberta wants to support SAF uptake, they might need separate carve outs or multipliers.