In Brazil, the ethanol blend may jump back up to 25% as soon as May, after the government cut the blend to 20% earlier this year following a fall in ethanol production. An expected record sugarcane crop next year could see ethanol production reach a three-year high of 6.3 billion gallons.
In South Africa, the Dept. of Energy expects that ethanol prices will be set by the middle of 2013 and will be determined by a break-even price for sorghum-based ethanol produced at an efficiently sized plant. There are two sweet sorghum-based ethanol projects under development but are waiting to see what the established price will […]
In Washington, the D.C. Circuit Court nixed a suit by the American Petroleum Institute against the Environmental Protection Agency over the agency’s 2010 revision to the Renewable Fuel Standard. In addressing the API’s suit, over the EPA’s mandate that obligated parties pay fines for not blending cellulosic biofuels when no cellulosic biofuels to buy had […]
In Washington, the US Department of Energy announced up to $12 million for up to five R&D projects that will improve the carbon, hydrogen, and separation efficiencies in bio-oil production and upgrade processes. The aim of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000812) is also to boost biofuel yields from non-food-based lignocellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural residue, […]
In Washington, the US Department of Agriculture has updated and improved its USDA Energy website. The portal, which launched in January, includes interactive map, graphing analysis tools, and the USDA Energy Matrix. These instruments enable review of USDA investments, USDA energy programs biofuels and bioenergy data. “Ideally it is a one-stop shop for stakeholders,”USDA Energy […]
In India, oil marketing companies are at last preparing to float a global tender to seek up to 1.1 billion liters of ethanol to comply with the country’s E5 blending mandate. As the companies don’t have the infrastructure to transport or store the ethanol, offers will have to include transport to one of the 350 […]
In the UK, Chatham House says in a new report that major grain-based and oilseed-based biofuel-producing countries could collectively purchase call options from their biofuel industries. This arrangement would act as a virtual global food reserve. These contracts could specify a trigger – based on a price index – which when activated would obligate the […]
In Switzerland, Argentina has formally complained to the WTO about Europe allegedly blocking imports of its biodiesel. The country’s foreign minister claims that the move by Spain to block imports is in retaliation for Argentina nationalizing the local arm of YPF Repsol last year, claiming that a double standard exists between developed and developing countries […]
In Iowa, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) recently sent letters to the Iowa Congressional delegation in an attempt to have the biodiesel tax incentive reinstated. The letter cautioned that the leaders should not falter after the biodiesel industry’s recent progress, arguing that the biodiesel industry has stalled since the expiration of the tax credit […]
In Qatar, The World Energy Council’s (WEC) global ranking of country energy sustainability performance was released, revealing that “most of the over 90 countries assessed are still far from achieving fully sustainable energy systems.” The 2012 Energy Sustainability Index, published within the WEC’s 2012 World Energy Trilemma report, “Time to get real – the case […]
