Daily Summary for Thursday August 16

Top Story: Ethanol industry leaders in Nebraska warned that investment interest in ethanol continues to wane, despite good growth indicators for increased ethanol supply and demand.

Producers: An ethanol plant in North Dakota has opened that uses waste steam from a power plant to help produce fuel.

International: In Brazil, the world’s largest producer of sugar cane announced an IPO that will finance more than $1 billion in new biofuel investments….fossil fuel prices in Africa are creating new demand for biofuels, especially in crisis-ridden Zimbabwe where electricity shortages are rampant….in Singapore, a biofuel investment firm signed an agreement to joint venture an ethanol plant in Vietnam, and Vietnam also announced a Japanese joint venture to produce 25 million gallons of ethanol from tapioca chips….Brazil and Benin have signed a cooperation agreement on biofuel research and development….in Canada, a $10 million investment is aimed to position the province of Ontario as a leading center for biofuels research.

Policy: In England, biofuels proponent say that US subsidies are preventing the growth of a European biodiesel industry….and the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for international rules to regulate the biofuel market including agricultural incentives, environmental protections and removal of trade barriers….in Australia, the former chairman of Shell Oil urged farmers to use marginal land to produce biofuels….in Japan, the giant Mitsubishi Corporation announced plans for 500 million gallons in ethanol production capacity by 2017.

Research: Purdue University researchers report that the average price of Indiana farmland has increased by 17% in the past year. Biofuels are cited as the cause of the rise….The Crown Prince of Holland claimed that fuel for one tank of biofuels for an SUV uses the same amount of water needed to feed one person on grains for a year.

Demand-side: Ford Motor Co. debuted a demonstration fleet of E85-powered Ford Escape Hybrids.

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