Who must meet the sustainable biobased petrol mandate?

Liable fuel retailers are required to sell at least the minimum amount of sustainable biobased petrol.

A fuel retailer is a liable retailer if they:

• own or operate 10 or more sites
• or
• sell more than 500,000 litres of all grades of petrol at any site in a calendar quarter.

Sites that sell low aromatic fuel are not liable to sell the minimum amount.

To comply with the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984, liable fuel retailers must either:

• sell the minimum amount of sustainable biobased petrol
• or
• hold an exemption.

Fuel retailers that are not required to sell the minimum amount do not need to seek an exemption. However, some reporting and registration obligations apply to all fuel retailers, regardless of whether or not they are required to meet the minimum sales amount in the Act.

How is the minimum amount of sustainable biobased petrol calculated?

A liable fuel retailer that owns or operates 10 or more sites is required to sell the minimum amount (4%) calculated from the volume of regular and ethanol-blended petrol sold from their business as a whole (i.e. all sites).

A liable fuel retailer with 9 or fewer sites is only required to sell the minimum amount (4%) if any one of their sites sells more than 500,000L in total of any grade of petrol in a calendar quarter. The minimum amount is calculated from the volumes of regular petrol and ethanol-blended petrol sold only from those sites that sell more than 500,000L. However, the required sales of ethanol can come from any of the liable retailers' sites across their portfolio.

Fuel retailers should refer to manufacturing specifications to ensure the compatibility of infrastructure on their sites, and seek professional advice specific to their site and equipment if required.

Check your ethanol sales percentage

Fuel retailers can use the ethanol mandate calculator to check their ethanol sales percentage.

Check your ethanol sales percentage

Who must meet the sustainable biobased diesel mandate?

Fuel wholesalers that sell fuel for delivery in Queensland have a liability (0.5% biobased diesel) applied to diesel sales.

The biobased diesel mandate does not apply to the sale of diesel fuel by a fuel retailer.

The wholesale diesel obligation under the Act is designed to capture diesel sales from fuel wholesalers that are made to fuel retailers and bulk-end users (such as transport depot, agricultural and mining uses). It is not intended to capture sales from one wholesaler to another where that wholesaler is selling the volume on to another entity (for example selling to another retailer, or a bulk-end user).

How is the minimum amount of sustainable biobased diesel calculated?

It is up to an individual fuel wholesaler how they choose to meet the requirements of the Act. For example, the fuel wholesaler could choose to blend all diesel that is captured by the Act at 0.5%, or it could choose to blend a smaller volume at a higher concentration to achieve the same outcome.

Ongoing compliance

We encourage fuel seller compliance with the Act by providing education and information. We also visit fuel sellers to monitor and investigate compliance as required. Ideally, cases of inadvertent non-compliance will be corrected through counselling and feedback.

The Biofuels Mandate Compliance and Enforcement Strategy (PDF, 533KB) outlines legislative obligations and helps fuel sellers understand the general approach to compliance and enforcement of the Act. Each instance of non-compliance with the Act will be considered individually on its own facts and circumstances.

Fuel sellers that do not comply with the Act may face penalties. Prosecution of a fuel seller will only be enforced after careful consideration. If an alternative to prosecution is available, and is more effective in achieving the objects of the Act, then the alternative will be considered.

Taking reasonable steps to comply

Fuel sellers who take 'all reasonable steps' to comply with the Act but fail to sell the minimum required amount of biofuel may avoid penalties. To support such a defence, a fuel seller may provide evidence of:

• efforts made to secure enough supply of a sustainable biofuel blend
• efforts made to promote the sale of a sustainable biofuel blend
• any upgrade of infrastructure arranged to enable enough sales of a sustainable biofuel blend
• facilities made available for the sale of a sustainable biofuel blend.

You can get more information by reading the Guideline for fuel sellers – reasonable steps for achieving the sustainable biofuel requirement (PDF, 785KB).

The guideline provides a range of examples and suggestions for demonstrating that you have taken all reasonable steps when responding to our requests for information. These examples are not the only reasonable steps a fuel seller may take, and not all examples will apply to every fuel seller.

Under the Act, Queensland fuel sellers are required to report on the volume of fuel sold on a quarterly or annual basis.

Fuel sellers must report sales volumes online using the Queensland Fuel Sellers' Portal. For assistance with using the portal, refer to the Fuel seller register: portal user guide (PDF, 3.5MB).

If you have any issues with previous reporting periods, contact the Queensland Treasury on 13 43 87 or email biofuels@epw.qld.gov.au.

Fuel sellers that have applied for, or been granted, an exemption from the requirement to sell the minimum amount of sustainable biobased petrol or diesel are still required to submit reports on volumes of fuel sold.

Annual reporting

All fuel retailers and fuel wholesalers in Queensland must submit an annual report. This includes those that are not required to sell the minimum amount of sustainable biobased petrol or diesel.

Fuel sellers who submit 4 quarterly reports for the financial year will have met the annual reporting requirement.

The next annual reporting requirement will commence on 1 July 2025 for the 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 period. Annual reporting is due before 31 July each year.

Fuel sellers who have not submitted their annual report for the period ending June 2024 should phone Queensland Treasury on 13 43 87, or email biofuels@treasury.qld.gov.au for further information.

Quarterly reporting

Only liable fuel retailers and fuel wholesalers need to report sales volumes on a quarterly basis.

Reporting for each quarter is due within 1 month of the end of the quarter (e.g. reporting for the October to December quarter would be due by the end of January).

View fuel seller statistics

It is a legal requirement for all fuel sellers to register their business information with Queensland Treasury.

Register as a fuel seller

If you are a fuel seller and have not previously submitted fuel sales reports, or accessed the Queensland fuel sellers' portal, email biofuels@treasury.qld.gov.au to register and receive an invitation. You will need to provide the following:

• full name
• entity name
• ABN
• contact phone number
• email address.

Changes to a fuel seller's registration information

It is a legislative requirement for fuel sellers to update their business information within 1 month of any changes.

You can update your registration information through the fuel sellers' portal.

Apply for exemption from the mandate

Fuel sellers that are required to sell the minimum amounts of sustainable biofuel in petrol or diesel are able to apply for an exemption from the requirements under certain circumstances. The grounds for exemption are:

• shortage of supply of sustainable biobased fuel
• complying with the requirement would threaten the viability of the fuel seller's business
• other extraordinary circumstances.

The Biofuels exemption guideline (PDF, 564KB) assists fuel sellers to understand how exemptions will be applied. The guideline neither limits nor expands the range of circumstances which may justify the grant of an exemption under section 35G of the Liquid Fuel Supply Act 1984. This guideline provides information on the approach that will generally be taken in relation to exemption applications. Each exemption application will be considered individually on its own facts and circumstances.

Application timing

We request that exemption applications for sellers who own or operate up to 20 sites be submitted at least 8 weeks (preferably longer) before the commencement of the quarter for which the exemption is sought (e.g. if you are seeking an exemption for the October to December quarter, you should apply by the beginning of August). Longer lead times are preferred. This will give applicants greater opportunity to respond to any necessary requests for additional information.

For fuel sellers who own or operate more than 20 sites, we request that exemption applications be submitted at least 10 weeks before the commencement of the quarter for which the exemption is sought.

Apply for an exemption

After reading the Biofuels exemption guideline, if you would like to apply for an exemption from the Act phone 13 43 87 or email biofuels@treasury.qld.gov.au for further information or to arrange a pre-lodgement meeting.

• Download the exemption application form (DOCX, 84 KB).

Biobased petrol and biobased diesel sold under the biofuels mandate must meet the sustainability criteria for biofuels.

About the sustainability criteria

The sustainability criteria for biofuels help mitigate any unintended environmental impacts as a result of the biofuels mandates.

The criteria are prescribed and outlined in the Liquid Fuel Supply Regulation 2016 and the Liquid Fuels Supply Act 1984.

The sustainability criteria are:

• a greenhouse gas assessment that requires unblended biofuels, regardless of the feedstock, to deliver greenhouse gas savings of at least 20% when compared to regular petrol or diesel
• a certification under the relevant environmental sustainability standard specific to the relevant feedstock.

Obligations for fuel sellers

Liable fuel sellers (i.e. retailers and/or wholesalers) may be required to show that the biofuels sold through their fuel facilities meet the sustainability criteria.

To check if a producer is accredited under one of the required sustainability standards, you should contact your fuel supplier or biofuels producer.

Contractual arrangements with fuel suppliers or biofuels producers are one way of ensuring you are sourcing sustainable biofuels.

If requested by Queensland Treasury, you may be required to provide evidence such as a copy of the producer's sustainability certification or a copy of relevant supplier contracting provisions.

Refer to certified biofuels producers (see below) for a list of producers in Queensland who meet the relevant sustainability standards.

Read more about the responsibilities of fuel sellers to comply with the biofuels mandates.

Obligations for biofuels producers

Greenhouse gas assessment

Biofuel producers must demonstrate that they meet the greenhouse gas benefit criterion, regardless of the type of feedstock used. The greenhouse gas savings required are at least 20% when compared to regular petrol or diesel.

To do this, you can either:

• commission your own greenhouse gas assessment
• or
• obtain approval from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation that your production process is covered.

Email info@des.qld.gov.au for further information.

Waste feedstocks

Biofuels produced from waste streams need to meet the greenhouse gas criterion only. No other sustainability standards apply. This encourages the production of sustainable biofuels from legally obtained waste streams.

Check the Waste feedstocks under the Liquid Fuel Supply Regulation 2016: Guideline (PDF, 312KB) for information and examples of feedstocks that are considered to be 'wastes' under the biofuels mandate and sustainability criteria for biofuels. Email info@des.qld.gov.au for more information.

Sustainability standards

The Regulation provides industry with commonly used standards to demonstrate compliance with the general sustainability criteria. Refer to Liquid Fuel Supply Regulation 2016 Schedule 1 Sustainability criteria for biofuels for more information.

If you hold a valid certification for an alternative sustainability standard that manages environmental risks, you may apply for approval of the nominated standard as 'equivalent to' the relevant standard in the Regulation. Biofuels producers can contact info@des.qld.gov.au for information on applications for approval.

A nominated standard may only be approved if it provides sustainability measures that are at least equivalent to the sustainability standard.

The sustainability criteria set environmental performance standards that must be satisfied by the relevant entities within the biofuels supply chain, in order for the biofuel to be eligible under the Queensland biofuels mandates.

Certified biofuels producers

Biofuels producers can be certified against different environmental sustainability standards.

There are currently 2 commercial biorefineries in Queensland who produce biofuels and meet the relevant sustainability standards.

• Wilmar BioEthanol (Wilmar Sugar Australia), Sarina
  Australia's largest producer of sugar-based ethanol with capacity to produce 60 million litres of ethanol each year.
• Ecotech Biodiesel, Narangba
  Able to produce 30 million litres of bio-based diesel from used cooking oil and tallow.

Contact us

• If you are a fuel seller and require further information about the sustainability criteria and fuel seller requirements, email biofuels@treasury.qld.gov.au.
• If you are an existing or prospective biofuels producer and have questions about the sustainability criteria, email info@des.qld.gov.au.

Also consider…

• Read more about the Queensland biofuels mandates.

Use the calculator below to check your ethanol sales percentage.

The 4% biobased petrol mandate only applies to liable fuel retailers. Read more about how the biobased petrol mandate applies and is calculated.

Volume of regular and ethanol-blended petrol sold by liable fuel retailers in megalitres

Below is a summary of fuel sales activity in Queensland by liable fuel retailers since the commencement of the sustainable biobased petrol mandate.

Statistics on the sustainable biobased diesel mandate are also summarised and published below.

The data reflects what fuel sellers have reported to the department for the relevant quarters. The department works with fuel sellers to address any identified data deficiencies or inaccuracies.

Figure 1. Volume of regular and ethanol-blended petrol sold by liable fuel retailers in megalitres

Note: The format of the graph has changed from publication of statistics on 7 December 2022. The black columns of the graph are regular-unleaded petrol (RULP) only, and Ethanol blends are shown adjacent. Prior to the format change, the black RULP columns included both RULP and Ethanol blends. This change was made to improve clarity and readability of data.

Volume of petrol types sold by liable fuel retailers in megalitres

The ethanol percentage for each quarterly period depicts the percentage of pure ethanol from the total volume of regular-unleaded petrol (RULP) and RULP blends, such as E10 and E85.

Since the January to March 2016 quarter (prior to commencement of the mandate on 1 January 2017), reportable volumes of E10, the most popular ethanol-blended petrol grade, have increased by 47%.

Total volumes of petrol sold can be expected to fluctuate over time. Reported sales volumes of E10, RULP and PULP petrol grades decreased in the January to March 2025 quarter, compared to the previous quarter. The ethanol percentage decreased slightly to 2.8%.

The volume of premium unleaded petrol (PULP) is the combined volumes of 95RON and 98RON petrol due to the way Queensland Treasury collects data from fuel retailers.

Figure 2. Volume of petrol types sold by liable fuel retailers in megalitres

Petrol availability at retail sites owned or operated by liable fuel retailers

The number of sites offering biobased petrol has stabilised.

In the data below, the availability of PULP is the combined availability of 95RON and 98RON petrol. Sites selling PULP may be offering only 95RON, only 98RON, or both.

Figure 3. Petrol availability at retail sites owned or operated by liable fuel retailers

Biodiesel sales achieved by wholesalers

The percentage of biodiesel sold for each quarterly period depicts the percentage of B100 (pure unblended biodiesel) from the total volume of diesel. The biodiesel percentage sold during the latest quarter is 0.25% with sales volumes expected to fluctuate over time.

Figure 4. Biodiesel sales achieved by wholesalers

Note: Some previously reported data for earlier quarters has been updated, based on more recently reported information from fuel sellers.