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Euroactive reported that the German and French aviation associations have called on the European Commission to act immediately against the “competitive distortions” caused by new sustainable fuels rules, pitching a tailored levy for passengers as a solution. From this year, all flights departing from an EU airport will be obliged to include a gradually-increasing share of sustainable aviation fuel in their kerosene when refueling, according to the report. “For Germany, this means $400 million extra in costs, without additional revenue” said Joachim Lang, managing director of the German Aviation Association (BDL) on Thursday in a press briefing. The associations say that the requirement unfairly penalizes European airlines who operate long-haul flights, compared to their competitors in Turkey or the Gulf. The associations alternatively propose a ticket surcharge for journeys involving a stopover at a hub outside the EU, the report added. As part of the deal, the organizations want national governments to decrease or get rid of national taxation on aviation. “Everything combined makes flying in Europe more expensive than it needs to be,” Lang added.
‘China’s rapid expansion of renewables has the potential to transform the Chinese energy system, but this opportunity is being undermined by the simultaneous massive expansion of coal power. The continued approval and construction of new coal plants – driven by industry interests and outdated contracts rather than actual grid needs – risks pushing China into fossil fuel dependency at a time when flexibility is critical to clean energy integration. Without decisive policy changes, China’s energy transition will remain an ‘energy add-on’ rather than a genuine shift away from coal,’ said Qi Qin, the report’s lead author and China analyst at CREA, in a press release from GEM and CREA.
The Chinese government has promised that the country will peak carbon emissions before the end of the decade and become carbon neutral by 2060. However, experts fear that these targets will be a long way off as long as China continues to prioritise coal-fired power generation and approve new coal production.
Oceans 2050 has published groundbreaking findings in Nature Climate Change that demonstrate the significant climate change mitigation potential of seaweed farming. The study, entitled ‘Carbon burial in sediments below seaweed farms matches that of Blue Carbon habitats’, is the first comprehensive, empirical assessment of carbon sequestration rates below seaweed farms worldwide. The study, which was conducted in 20 seaweed farms on five continents, confirms that seaweed farms can sequester carbon in the underlying sediments in comparable amounts to vegetated coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses. More under: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250129517003/en/Groundbreaking-Research-Confirms-Seaweed-Farming%E2%80%99s-Potential-as-a-Blue-Carbon-Solution
EU to impose anti-dumping duties on HVO and FAME from China has been published in the EU Official Journal. Chinese exports to the EU market will be subject to an anti-dumping duty of between 21.7% and 35.5%, with the exception of EcoCeres, which will be subject to an AD duty of 10%. The European Biodiesel Board, and thus the entire EU biofuels sector, would like to thank DG TRADE of the European Commission for its work and the relief it has brought to European industry. Even though protection against Chinese dumping is not perfect and there is still work to be done to ensure the proper implementation of the duties and their efficiency, we are grateful that it has been recognised how China is damaging the EU through unfair competition and that clear action has been taken. During the two-year process, we have seen workers laid off, investments postponed and even companies closed. We now hope for a period of growth and investment in Europe. https://ebb-eu.org/news/commission-publishes-regulation-to-protect-eu-biodiesel-industry-from-dumped-chinese-imports/
The Brazilian Ministry of Energy estimates that the introduction of E30 can eliminate much of Brazil’s dependence on petrol imports. In 2024, petrol imports amounted to 2.87 billion litres, a decrease of around 30% compared to the previous year. ‘With E30, we have ensured the dependence of 700 million litres of petrol,’ said Pietro Mendes, Secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels of the Ministry, on 2 November in the Special Commission for Energy Transition of the Chamber of Deputies. Replacing this amount would be equivalent to 1.2 billion litres of ethanol, the secretary said. According to the ANP, a capacity of about 6.9 billion litres of ethanol will come on stream this year, due to the increase in new corn ethanol projects. ‘With E30, we can free ourselves from external dependence on petrol. We are very confident about this. And then it will also create jobs and increase income,’ said Mendes. https://www.udop.com.br/noticia/2025/02/12/e30-pode-reduzir-dependencia-do-brasil-de-gasolina-importada-avalia-mme.html
The local state energy company SOCAR in Azerbaijan has analysed the potential for the production of sustainable aviation fuel in Turkey. ‘We anticipate a growing demand for biofuels in the oil refinery sector and are currently working on a project to produce SAF. The project is in the technical evaluation phase and we believe it will be the biggest conversion in the refinery. We have already started working on this project,’ said Kenan Mirzayev, Head of Oil Refining and Petrochemicals Department of SOCAR Turkey. He also mentioned that the company expects a general increase in demand for chemical and petrochemical products within the petrochemical sector. https://www.azerbaycan24.com/en/socar-explores-sustainable-aviation-fuel-production/
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of producing 5 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually by 2030. This is part of his broader plan to generate 500 GW of renewable energy by then. Sustainable feedstocks for biofuels have also reached the 500 million tonne mark, including those used to produce ethanol, which have helped achieve the 19% blending quota and will rise to 20% by October as planned. Biofuels are also expected to be part of the Indian Railways’ strategy to achieve net zero consumption by 2030. https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/renewable/our-goal-is-to-produce-5-mmt-of-green-hydrogen-annually-by-2030-pm-modi/118138979
Magnon Green Energy is undergoing an environmental review of its e-methanol plant in Spain. The company’s 137 MW biomass power plant emits 1 million tonnes of C02 per year from biomass. In Malaysia, an export centre for biogas-derived fuels including BioLNG is being set up at the port of Langsat in Johor. BAC Renewable Energy, the Dovechem Group and TLP Terminal signed the development agreement on 7 February. In Australia, NH3 Clean Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pilbara Ports Authority to develop ammonia export infrastructure as NH3’s 600,000 tonnes per annum ammonia project passes through the development gates. https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/solutions/products/european-energy-sector?cq_net=o&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CIQ_Solutions_Commodities_Energy_EU_Power_Search_Bing&utm_term=energy%20projects&utm_content=&_bt=&_bk=energy%20projects&_bm=p&_bn=o&_bg=1162184934407703&msclkid=592b7b17c5c61f99f5de1ca480e6232c
Kuehne+Nagel renews its strategic collaboration with Acer Europe to decarbonize sea shipments by using biofuel. So far, this partnership, now in its third year, has reduced emissions by 475 tons. It highlights both companies’ commitment to environmental sustainability. In addition to supporting Acer’s reduction efforts with its certified Book and Claim solution for maritime biofuel, Kuehne+Nagel also provides advanced data-driven insights from seaexplorer as well as order-level emissions reporting. Acer’s SBTi targets include a commitment to reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions by 35% by 2030 (compared to 2020), underscoring the critical role of their transport partner to achieve that goal. https://newsroom.kuehne-nagel.com/kuehnenagel-and-acer-europe-partner-to-decarbonise-sea-shipments/
VITAGRO Group of companies has begun exporting Ukrainian biomethane to the European Union. The group’s biomethane plant, which was built between 2022 and 2024, started production in September 2024. Until that time, the company was injecting biomethane into Ukraine’s gas transmission system. ERU, together with its partners, will transport the biomethane from the Ukrainian-Slovak border to Germany. https://vitagro.com.ua/en/news/news/persii-ukrayinskii-biometan-eksportovano-do-jesnimeccini
Electrochaea has reached an important milestone in its collaboration with global energy technology company Baker Hughes. The two companies have finalised the Basic Engineering Design Package (BEDP) of Electrochaea’s proprietary biocatalyst methanation system integrated with Baker Hughes’ carbon capture solutions. This BEDP lays the foundation for large-scale biomethanisation applications and meets the growing demand for eMethane production on a commercial scale. Plants based on the BEDP are designed to produce 3750 Nm3/h of renewable methane from 3750 Nm3/h of CO2 in combination with renewable hydrogen from an electrolyser with a capacity of 75 MWe and can be further scaled up to hundreds of megawatts to maximise clean energy production. https://www.electrochaea.com/latest-news/february-4-2025-press-release-electrochaea-and-baker-hughes-bring-commercial-scale-biomethanation-technology-to-market/