Latest Energy Census News
The European Commission’s proposals to limit carbon dioxide emissions from trucks have missed an opportunity to promote viable alternatives to biodiesel and failed to demonstrate “carbon neutrality”, the main lobby group for biomethane in transport has said.
A meeting of EU legislators this week made little headway on the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive, heightening the prospect that agreement on key elements of the file won’t emerge for several months, prolonging uncertainty for the biofuels sector.
Creeping crude prices underpinned the principle moves in the UK’s RTFC market this week, with physical low sulfur diesel prices up over $22/mt from last Friday, to poke just above the $699/mt level.
Total SA will substitute some crude palm oil for waste oils at its new La Mède biodiesel refinery, after the French government requested a reduction in the use of the controversial feedstock.
Advanced biofuels are likely to be the most economically-feasible zero emission alternative fuel for the shipping industry, but sourcing sustainable feedstocks will be a major challenge, according to a new study.
Upcoming talks to recast the renewable energy directive may focus on limiting the environmental impact of crop-based biodiesels, particularly those derived from soyoil and palmoil.
Argentina is expected to export some 700,000 mt of biodiesel during 2018, down from the 1.2 million mt in 2017, Gustavo Idigoras, a consultant with Carbio, told Energy Census.
Fuels derived from waste plastic need to be excluded from the EU’s recast of the bloc’s renewable energy directive, campaign groups have urged as EU lawmakers try to find agreement on alternative fuel use.
The European Commission will on 17 May propose its first ever CO2 standards for trucks, a move that will likely reduce overall fuel demand per truck, but could spur demand for higher biofuel blends and other alternative fuels across the sector.
It was another week in which trading activity was light and both the buy side and the sell side showed little in the way of clear indications.
Global employment in the biofuels sector expanded 12% last year to 1.93 million, as production of ethanol and biodiesel increased in most major producing countries, renewable energy agency IRENA said in a report published this week.
Andeavor, one of the largest fuel refiners in the US, has reported saving $100 million since 2016 because of lower compliance costs related to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Argentina’s agriculture minister Luis Etchevehere has held talks with his counterpart, US agriculture secretary Sonny Purdue, to discuss issues including the duties imposed on Argentine biodiesel exports.
Germany-based biofuels producer Verbio has reported a 5% drop in earnings during the first nine months of financial year 2017/18 as the company experienced a faster-than-expected fall in margins despite high utilization rates at its plants.
US ethanol producers will be able to sell the E15 blend all year round and exported ethanol will be allowed to count towards volumes mandated under the Renewable Fuels Standard, following a tentative compromise deal agreed at the White House yesterday.
UK biomethane producers may soon get clarity from the UK government on whether they will have flexibility for projects to pursue credits from the Renewable Fuels Transport Obligation instead of just claiming subsidies under the Renewable Heating Initiative.
Bids and offers for Year 11 RTFCs were heard bracketing either side of traded levels this week, with bids heard at 18 p, offers heard at 19 p and trades at 18.5 p/certificate.
The UK government has issued 1.504 billion Road Transport Fuel Certificates (RTFCs) so far for the Year-10 compliance period, according to data released this week by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Minnesota became this week the first part of the US to introduce a B20 biodiesel blend for "summer" months, and is expected to be a major boon for corn and soybean growers in the state.
A UK-based ferry company is trialling the use of a biofuel to be combined with low-sulphur marine gas oil that, if successful, could herald wider use in passenger ships.