Makpetrol & Biofuel in the Process of Climate Change Mitigation
Global warming has been a slow, natural process caused by GHG (Green House Gasses) that, throughout evolution, nature has been able to adapt. Their emission into the atmosphere has been balanced out by natural absorption.
Today, human activities have substantially and intensively contributed to increasing the amount of GHG, changing the composition of Earth’s atmosphere and moving beyond nature’s own ability to cope. As these gasses build up, they act like a blanket ‘overheating the planet’. These results can be already seen from satellite imagery: melting ice caps, rising sea levels, changing weather patterns.
 
If these changes are allowed to continue uncontrolled, they will have devastating effect on all life on this planet, possibly leading to extinction. Those human activities causing these rapid changes are related to growth of energy consumption, energy inefficiencies, and industrialization. In addition, when we can see that every credible forecast of global energy demand is rising, we can realize that we stand at a crucial point from which we have to start making changes in energy consumer behavior. Many energy intensive industries are already responding to these challenges. There are already ongoing efforts to increase the use of newer energy, cleaner technologies, and other measures supported by governmental and institutional policies. The transport sector is considered as being responsible for large amounts of CO2 emission into the atmosphere: CO2 concentration has tripled in the preindustrial period. The increase in demand for fossil fuels, such as gasoline and coal, in the transport sector is well- documented. Demand in this segment is likely to mean that CO2 will continue to rise even more intensively. This requires immediate measures to be undertaken. When combined with the negative impact on the environment, coupled with oil price fluctuations, future oil price unpredictability and forecasted future energy shortages, we realize that we are facing a range of energy and environmental challenges to find sustainable ways of providing energy supplies to the world’s population. Future energy sources should be clean, competitive and serve as a tool for settling all threatening issues. World experts have already been working on minimizing the effects on the environment caused by oil and automotive industries. Even though these industries are resistant to alternative fuels and energy sources (due to the investment needed for building new infrastructure to produce, distribute and utilize them), they are obliged to comply with the new rules or be subject to penalties. In this regard ‘Biofuels’ are the first acceptable phase for an acceptable fuel substitute. So, what are actually ‘Biofuels’ and what is the reason for their need as an alternative to fossil fuels? They are fuels produced from diversified biomass such as agricultural and forest products and residues, industrial and municipal waste, sea weed and algae, different energy crops and etc. The world has globally accepted them through governmental and institutional policies. In climate-energy legislative, new regulations designed to promote the use of energy from renewable sources clearly indicates a minimum 10% share of transport energy must derive from renewable sources.
A primary reason that makes the use of ‘Biofuels’ attractive, lies in the fact that they represent the most beneficial alternative that significantly reduces the CO2 emission.
Converting biomass to Biofuels is an environmentally friendly process and so is using Biofuels for transportation. When we use Biofuels, we help reduce the ratio of CO2 emission from 30% to 100%, which is significantly lower in comparison to fossil fuels. Additionally, we create a mechanism for CO2 absorption by growing new biomass for fuel under the principles of sustainability, not to harm the biodiversity and not to compete with food production. “Makpetrol AD”, as a company whose basic business activity is the supply of oil and oil derivatives, has a moral and ethical responsibility and practical need to follow world trends in the energy sector. The Company constantly tracks world innovations, as well as global trends in the area of Biofuels as a renewable energy. Thus in 2007, the celebration of the 60th jubilee of Makpetrol was underlined with the construction of the first biodiesel plant in the Republic of Macedonia. The start of biodiesel production marked the expanding of scope of activities towards establishing Biofuels portfolio. The plant has an annual production capacity of more than 20.000 tones of biodiesel, with the objective of achieving higher levels in the future. The raw material used is high quality rape-seed oil that is processed through highly standardized and globally accepted technology - transesterification. The biodiesel fulfils EU accepted technical standard EN 14214, thus enabling its blending with fossil fuel under norm EN 590. The accredited laboratory of Makpetrol (UKAS accreditation) located within the plant premises is responsible for obtaining and maintaining the high quality product and is the only one of its kind in the country.
 
Introducing biodiesel in Macedonia could result in multiple benefits.
Despite representing a small fraction of a global contribution to climate change mitigation, still it is of great importance. When considering domestic fuel consumption per capita, this contribution in improving environmental conditions will be significantly measurable. Furthermore, when accepting diversified biofuel portfolio derived from locally produced feedstock, the country could realize utilization of the whole potential of the agricultural sector. The new industry will significantly enable revitalization and reaffirmation of the rural areas through creating new market opportunities for farmers and new job opportunities for local communities. Biofuels also mean adapting new European regulations and standards for transport fuels and GHG emission. It also leads to lower demand for fossil fuels - higher energy security, higher transparency, and predictability of the oil energy market, efficient reaction in moments of crisis, and economic growth and prosperity. In many respects it can be said that it is a win-win situation. Making the first, but hopefully not the last step forward in the area of renewable energy sources, Makpetrol demonstrates that it is continuing its mission to deliver best value to its stakeholders, to provide superior quality product and to foster highly ethical, environmental friendly and social responsible business practices. All this is accomplished by aligning the Company’s actions in long-term sustainable manner.
|
Mitropolit T. Gologanov 42, Floor III, 1000 Skopje
