Bioenergy standard to be implemented across East Africa

The Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has confirmed new international bioenergy standards will come into operation by 2014 across East Africa.

Following a three day workshop at the start of November TBS acting director Dominic Mwakangale believes the bureau is in at the final stages of compiling the proposed standards. The workshop attracted participants from places including Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya.

The next plenary meeting is scheduled to be in Australia and Mwakangale says that is where the final bioenergy ISO13065 draft will be drawn up for final consideration.

The workshop was supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) which is supporting both the project and a awareness campaign to the tune of $3.6 million (€2.8 million).

‘The availability of a national policy without a standard will not suffice the industry to operate and grow, hence the international standard, when finalised together with national policy and regulatory framework, will facilitate sustainable biofuel production,’ Mwakangale was quoted as saying.