Ladies and Gentlemen,
the management of the Spanish oil company Repsol has given the green light for an investment in Ecoplant. A pioneering project in Europe for the conversion of municipal waste into renewable fuels and circular products. The plant in Tarragona will be the first in Europe to produce renewable and recyclable methanol from waste through gasification. This cutting-edge technology, developed by the Canadian company Enerkem – in which Repsol has a stake – gives a second life to waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators, according to the Spanish energy company. The new plant will have the capacity to process up to 400,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year and convert up to 240,000 tonnes of renewable fuels and circular products. Scheduled for commissioning in 2029, the plant will create 340 direct, indirect and induced jobs and around 2,800 jobs during the construction phase.
India’s Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari will hold a meeting with the oil marketing companies (OMCs) after the Delhi elections to discuss bringing down the retail prices of ethanol to a reasonable level. ‘Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri has assured me that the procurement and retail prices of ethanol will be rationalised to a reasonable level,’ Gadkari said at the fourth edition of the Sugar-Ethanol and Bio-Energy India Conference (SEIC) 2025. The Transport Minister emphasised that there was significant potential for setting up more ethanol pumps, similar to those offering fuel blends, provided the price of ethanol is much lower than that of petrol. He suggested that sugar factories could set up their own ethanol dispensers, creating an additional source of revenue.
Looking back on the 22nd International Congress for Renewable Mobility ‘Fuels of the Future’, which took place in Berlin from 20 to 21 January 2025, more than 600 participants and experts from around 30 nations met in Berlin. The congress offered exciting impulses and intensive discussions about renewable mobility and fuels. If you were unable to attend the congress, you can download the conference documents digitally for a fee of €150.00 plus VAT at the following link: https://www.fuels-of-the-future.com/en/order-presentations
International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its methodology for accounting and reporting the emissions reduction associated with the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by airlines. The publication of the IATA SAF accounting and reporting methodology is a critical step in the preparation of the IATA SAF Registry which is scheduled to launch in April 2025. The IATA SAF Registry is expected to play a key role in creating a functioning global SAF market. https://www.iata.org/
The US University of Wisconsin-Madison has been awarded $5.5 million from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop a novel approach to reduce the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilisers on two major crops for ethanol production in the US – corn and sorghum. https://news.cals.wisc.edu/2025/01/27/uw-madison-receives-5-5-million-doe-grant-to-cut-synthetic-nitrogen-fertilizer-usage-in-bioenergy-crops/
Hapag-Lloyd secured $4 billion in financing for 24 new low-emission container ships to be built in China under its Green Financing Framework, certified by DNV to meet Green Loan Principles. The ships, with a combined capacity of 312,000 TEU, are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2029. https://www.hapag-lloyd.com/en/company/press/releases/2025/02/hapag-lloyd-concludes-green-financing-of-its-24-new-container-sh.html
DHL Express has signed a deal with Cosmo Oil Marketing Co. for the purchase of SAF to drive emission-reduced air freight in Japan. The deal represents an annual purchase of 7.2 million liters of SAF, which DHL Express will use for its regular cargo shipping services starting in April 2025, marking the first such initiative for the international express industry in Asia. https://group.dhl.com/en/media-relations/press-releases/2025/dhl-express-and-cosmo-oil-marketing-sign-deal-to-drive-further-usage-of-sustainable-aviation-fuel-in-japan.html
The Sugar Mills Association of India has urged the government to consider raising the prices of sugarcane and B-heavy molasses-based ethanol to ensure that farmers are paid on time while ensuring the profitability of the sector. Prices for ethanol from these feedstocks have not been raised for two years. A 3% increase was approved last week for ethanol based on heavy C molasses. ISMA stated that its members are financially able to build more production capacity for ethanol. https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/isma-urges-government-to-consider-raising-rates-of-ethanol-from-sugarcane-juice-and-bhm/article69158988.ece
FutureFuel initiated its scheduled annual maintenance and turnaround of its Biodiesel plant at the end of December 2024. This turnaround has proven more extensive than expected. Therefore, the Company currently believes the turnaround will continue through February 2025. Biodiesel production will not commence until this turnaround is complete. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/01/31/3019014/0/en/FutureFuel-Announces-Certain-Matters-with-Respect-to-Its-Biodiesel-Production.html
French Alstom Kontern announced that HELION Hydrogen Power, a subsidiary of the Alstom Group, has announced a partnership with M REFORMER. As part of this partnership, HELION will demonstrate that its systems are compatible with hydrogen produced from methanol. HELION will provide a 100 kW fuel cell that will be coupled with M Reformer’s E-NOMAD system. The demonstration will take place at M Reformer’s industrial site in Molins de Rey, near Barcelona. https://www.alstom.com/press-releases-news/2025/1/helion-hydrogen-power-signs-strategic-partnership-agreement-m-reformer
The Portuguese government defended its decision to end the country’s tax exemption scheme for advanced biofuels and renewable gases in parliament on 5 February. https://www.jornaldenegocios.pt/empresas/energia/detalhe/governo-admite-repor-isencao-fiscal-no-isp-para-hidrogenio-verde-e-biometano
EnviTec has taken over the Uniper subsidiary LIQVIS in Germany. In future, the former Uniper subsidiary will operate under the umbrella of the EnviTec Biogas Group as LIQVIS powered by EnviTec Biogas. LIQVIS was founded in 2015 and operates a total of 18 LNG filling stations in Germany and France at strategic transport hubs with particularly high lorry volumes. https://www.uniper.energy/news/envitec-biogas-acquires-uniper-subsidiary-liqvis
Lootah Biofuels has launched its smart app for both Android and iOS platforms with an aim to encourage individuals, businesses, and institutions across the UAE to responsibly dispose of used cooking oil (UCO). The move will divert disposal of UCO to the ground and sewerage, which poses environmental and public health risks, converting it into clean energy. https://uaenews247.com/2025/01/30/lootah-biofuels-launches-smart-app-to-expand-uco-collection-network-in-converting-waste-into-clean-energy/
Sasol, Anglo American and De Beers entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) on 4 February to pilot the production of feedstock for renewable diesel. This is an important initiative for both companies as they endeavour to build the renewable fuel value chain in South Africa. https://www.sasol.com/media-centre/media-releases/sasol-anglo-american-de-beers-partner-generate-feedstock-renewable-diesel-production