Latest Energy Census News
Veolia, one of the world's largest environmental services conglomerates, has launched a new trading platform in the UK to buy and sell raw materials and biofuels, a move that could bring greater transparency to the burgeoning market for bio-energy feedstocks.
Canada has the potential to buy up to 200,000 mt of biodiesel per year from Argentine producers, but this new market would be far too small to compensate for lost business in the US, an industry source said this week.
Brazil can treble its productivity of biofuels by using crop residues and other feedstocks that are by-products of sugarcane and other crops, the head of the country’s biofuels strategy told a conference in Brussels last week.
The US corn lobby said this week it is “extremely troubled” by reports that Chevron and Exxon Mobil – two of the world’s richest companies – have been given exemptions to biofuels obligations that are reserved for small, financially-distressed companies.
The potential use of marine biofuels looks more promising after the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on Friday agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by “at least” 50% by mid-century from a 2008 baseline, a move that will require alternatives to standard bunker fuels.
The final week of the old RTFO arrangements saw a familiar issue affecting the UK’s arrangements, as geopolitics supported crude oil prices which filtered through into refined product prices – not least diesel, which saw sharp increases mid-week.
New biofuel targets in the UK take effect this Sunday, aiming to double the use of renewables in the UK transport sector by 2020, promote advanced biofuels from waste for use in sectors such as aviation, and reduce the country’s reliance on imported biodiesel.
Vivergo’s 420 million litre/year bioethanol plant in north-eastern England will restart production after a four-month shutdown, in view of recent government legislation to raise the mandate for biofuels, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
German biodiesel producer Natural Energy West (NEW) said April 9 it will halve output at its 240,000mt/year plant in Marl, citing the impact of cheap imports from Argentina and Indonesia in the wake of rulings on EU antidumping duties.
Shell has proposed that the US, EU and China ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 to meet emissions goals set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, in view of the company's longer-term plans to focus on higher margin distillates and advanced biofuels.
The sharp rise in Argentine soybean prices may make soy methyl ester (SME) and biodiesel more expensive in the EU, but higher prices are unlikely to be enough to materially affect demand for these imports that benefit from low export taxes and the recent removal of EU antidumping duties.
US production of biodiesel was up 33% in January compared with the equivalent period in 2017, according to figures released this week by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
With the RTFO in its penultimate week before the UK’s mandate increases from 4.75% to 7.25%, a long weekend and domestic holidays collectively dampened activity in the certificate markets.
The environmental credibility of Brazil’s biofuels industry and the carbon footprint of its ethanol producers is coming under increasing scrutiny as the country’s Senate considers whether to allow the growth of sugar cane in the Amazon.
The US Environmental Protection Agency provided hardship exemptions from the country’s biofuel laws to 25 oil refineries in 2017, almost double the usual amount, Reuters reported, citing a source with the government agency.
The French government said it will soon take measures to speed up the deployment of biomethane projects, such as a streamlined approvals process and easier access to project finance, so the country can use 10% renewable gas in its overall gas consumption by 2030.
Argentina produced 80,632 cubic metres of bioethanol in January, down 3,713 cu m or 4.4% versus the equivalent month in 2017, according to data from the Ministry of Energy.
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has determined that imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia materially harmed US producers.
US President Donald Trump's advisers have urged him to let Congress take the initiative in efforts to reduce the cost of renewable fuels standard for refiners, and to use executive powers only if lawmakers fail to deliver progress, Reuters reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the talks.
Argentine biofuels exports are expected to fall nearly 60% this year to approximately 500,000 mt, Gustavo Idigoras, a consultant with Argentine biofuels lobby Carbio, told Energy Census this week.