Dear readers,
Temperatures in the Arctic are currently warming four times faster than the global average. The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Arctic Report Card finds that warming in the Arctic is outpacing the global rate for the eleventh consecutive year this year.
“The climate catastrophe we are experiencing in the Arctic is already having consequences for communities around the world,” said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “The alarming harbinger of a net carbon source being released sooner rather than later does not bode well. Once reached, many of these thresholds for negative impacts on ecosystems cannot be reversed. You can find more from the report in the appendix.
By the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, reports on the importance for South Korea to develop a domestic sustainable aviation fuel supply chain and manage the associated challenges and risks to capitalize on market opportunities. South Korea, the world’s largest exporter of jet fuel, has introduced a SAF mandate effective August 2024, requiring a blend of at least 1% SAF for international flights by 2027. South Korea has one of the best waste recycling systems in the world (86% recycled waste) and ranks second in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for municipal waste recycling (56.5%). https://safety4sea.com/ieefa-report-warns-of-overinvestment-risks-in-south-koreas-lng-infrastructure-expansion/
The EU-Mercosur agreement remains a bad deal for the EU renewable ethanol sector, for European farmers and for Europe’s quest for strategic industrial and agricultural autonomy, even after more than five years of renegotiation and tinkering, according to ePure. The European Commission has ignored the repeated warnings of European bioethanol producers and decided to offer Mercosur countries a large share of the EU ethanol market. In doing so, the EU is endangering European biorefineries that produce food, animal feed, fuels, fertilizers and much more. https://www.epure.org/press-release/eu-mercosur-a-bad-deal-for-europes-ethanol-sector-for-farmers-for-food-security-for-strategic-autonomy/
LanzaTech and ArcelorMittal announced that ethanol from ArcelorMittal’s flagship Steelanol commercial plant in Ghent, Belgium, has reached a production milestone where ethanol volumes have reached sufficient levels to enable large-scale barge shipments. LanzaTech took delivery of the first barge load earlier this month and the ethanol is on its way to be sold to LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart customers. This success advances LanzaTech and ArcelorMittal’s joint strategy to develop a thriving European supply chain for sustainable ethanol produced in the region. https://lanzatech.com/arcelormittal-and-lanzatech-announce-ethanol-production-milestone-and-shipment-of-first-barge-from-flagship-steelanol-facility-in-belgium/
The global waste-to-energy market will reach a value of USD 63.1 billion by 2030, according to a report. The market, which reached a value of USD 35.2 billion last year, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.68% from 2024 to 2030. https://email.t-online.de/em?wdycf=www.t-online.de
Hydron Energy Inc. announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with FortisBC Energy Inc. to assess the feasibility of deploying Hydron Energy’s biogas upgrading equipment at sites in British Columbia, Canada – with the potential to lower the cost of cleaning renewable natural gas production and further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. V
The oil company Orelex has been fined 6.3 million dollars for exceeding the set limit for blending used cooking oil into biofuels in 2022. The company plans to appeal. The company was recently fined 315,000 dollars by the Supreme Court for failing to meet its biofuel blending obligation in 2022. https://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/olerex-hit-with-6-million-fine-for-biofuel-violations-alleged-market-distortion
BASF said it has completed the certification program International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS at its production site in Lemförde, Germany to produce biomass-balanced thermoplastic polyurethanes. Also, the annual recertification according to REDcert2 was successfully completed for numerous thermoplastics and polyurethane systems. This allows BASF to expand its sustainable product portfolio and continue its commitment to supporting customers in achieving their sustainability goals, the company said. https://www.basf.com/basf/www/global/en/media/news-releases/2024/12/p-24-321
Drax Group and Pathway Energy LLC have agreed to a multi-year agreement under which Drax could supply more than 1 million tons of sustainable biomass pellets annually to Pathway’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast. Under a separate agreement, Drax could also become a strategic partner in the project, with a potential investment in the form of a convertible note of up to $10 million. At this stage, Drax has not yet made an investment decision. https://www.drax.com/press_release/drax-and-pathway-energy-agree-heads-of-terms-on-sustainable-biomass-deal-to-supply-new-us-saf-plant/
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a new estimate for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF):
– SAF production volumes reached 1 million tons in 2024. SAF accounted for 0.3% of global jet fuel production and 11% of global renewable fuels.
– This is significantly lower than previous estimates, which assumed SAF production of 1.5 million tons in 2024, as the main SAF production facilities in the USA have postponed their production ramp-up to the first half of 2025.
– In 2025, SAF production is expected to reach 2.1 million tons, or 0.7% of total jet fuel production and 13% of global renewable fuel capacity. https://news.gtp.gr/2024/12/11/iata-sees-disappointingly-slow-growth-in-sustainable-aviation-fuel-production/
To meet increasingly complex market demands, HD Hyundai Oilbank’s biofuels business has reached a major milestone. The refinery operator announced that it completed Korea’s first biodiesel plant using supercritical fluid technology in April, which is now being put into operation. The plant is expected to produce 130,000 tons of biodiesel annually, according to the report. https://www.chemanalyst.com/NewsAndDeals/NewsDetails/hd-hyundai-oilbank-expands-into-biofuel-and-circular-economy-initiatives-31781
Italgas has envisaged a total investment of €1 billion in Greece as part of the Group’s 2024-2030 Strategic Plan. This program will be executed by its subsidiary Enaon, focusing on four main pillars to support Greece’s ongoing ecological transition. https://www.bioenergy-news.com/news/italgas-e1bn-investment-in-greek-gas-infrastructure-prioritises-biomethane/
Phillips 66 (listed here under Jet) is working with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC to power Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex with a 30.2 megawatt (MW) solar facility, and avoid approximately 33,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The project is one of the largest on-site solar installations in the United States. https://investor.phillips66.com/financial-information/news-releases/news-release-details/2024/Phillips-66-teams-with-NextEra-Energy-Resources-to-power-Rodeo-Renewable-Energy-Complex-with-solar-facility/default.aspx
CropEnergies is putting on hold the planned investment in a plant for the production of EnPro high protein animal feed at the production site of its subsidiary Ensus UK Ltd. in Wilton, UK. Currently, CropEnergies is investing in several major projects with high capital requirements. After intensive consideration, this decision was made following review of all projects in the current challenging market environment, which is affecting CropEnergies’ profitability and on the back of rising investment costs, also for EnPro. https://www.cropenergies.com/de/presse/details/strategische-fokussierung-geplanter-investitionen-bei-cropenergies
Nufarm announced an R&D collaboration with bp that aims to accelerate biomass oil technology development for bioenergy applications. This collaboration follows our previous announcement that Nufarm has partnered with a consortium of world-class research partners to further advance the technology that will enable this joint development agreement. https://nufarm.com/announcements/nufarm-announces-a-new-joint-development-agreement-with-bp-on-biomass-oil-technology-for-future-bioenergy-applications/
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted the Nortegas Group a framework financing of up to USD 84 million to enable the Group’s subsidiary, Nortegas Renovables, to finance the construction of biomethane plants in Spain and set up a digital operations center. The project, financed by the EIB and InvestEU, will enable the development of the first phase of Nortegas Renovables’ strategic plan, which aims to generate up to 3.5 TWh/year by 2030. The primarily medium-sized plants to be financed will produce biomethane, which will be injected into the existing natural gas grid to replace natural gas produced from fossil Fuels. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_6027
According to Neste, together with Porsche and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Neste has tested 1.6 million kilometers of renewable diesel in truck traffic to test the feasibility of renewable diesel. Neste noted that an endurance run was started with up to 12 trucks running on 100% Neste MY Renewable Diesel (HVO100), with each truck having a twin truck running on conventional fossil diesel. The aim was to investigate real-world conditions with existing traffic and infrastructure use, rather than a laboratory environment. https://www.neste.com/news-and-insights/transportation/Porsche-KIT-project
BMW and Neste have announced a collaboration on the supply of renewable diesel. BMW will purchase Neste MY Renewable Diesel and use the fuel for the initial refueling of diesel vehicles leaving its production facilities in Germany. Neste’s renewable diesel will be used at BMW’s plants in Munich, Dingolfing, Leipzig and Regensburg. The switch to HVO100 for the first fill will affect more than half of the global production volume of BMW diesel vehicles. https://biofuels-news.com/news/neste-to-supply-bmw-with-hvo100/
Braya’s renewable fuels plant in Canada, which only began operations in April, is already considering closure later this year due to economic constraints resulting from the expiration of the fuel producer tax credit, which has led to lower than usual profit margins and short-term market disruptions. Should the plant be shut down, it will be maintained and restored to an operational condition, while retaining its 230 permanent employees. https://biofuels-news.com/news/braya-rd-plant-could-halt-operations-over-poor-margins/