Strong signs for North American bioethanol

Ethanol in North America is a highly policy-driven industry, both domestically and internationally — a fact evident from the benefits now flowing from E15-based expansion in selected US states, to a policy pathway for E10–E20 progression in Japan.
At a time when the global market for ethanol — and much else — is volatile and uncertain, the industry has plenty to celebrate, albeit with concerns about how tariff and non-tariff factors may affect development in the coming years.
For now, however, a 27% year-on-year rise in US ethanol exports has already lifted deliveries above one billion gallons for marketing year 2024/25, compared with 795 million gallons for the same period in 2023/24.
This growth is driven by sales to the leading US export markets: Canada, the EU, India, the UK, Colombia and the Philippines.
“We’ve seen growth in all these markets already this year,” Alicia Koch, director of global ethanol export development at the US Grains Council (USGC), told Biofuels International. “These are our top export outlets, where we see continued opportunities to maintain and grow our trade.
“In addition, we are heavily engaged in...