Swedish regional carrier BRA has operated a flight from Stockholm Bromma Airport to Umeå in northern Sweden with an ATR-72-600 using a fuel blend comprised 45% of used cooking oil. Turboprop manufacturer ATR said it was the first biofuel-powered flight of an ATR aircraft. “Sweden is currently debating a new tax on aviation,” BRA CEO Christian... [Read More]

The publication of the European Commission’s renewable energy report shows that the EU is falling behind in its climate policies for transport, according to European renewable ethanol trade body ePURE. The EC published its report entitled Renewable energy progress report yesterday (1 February, 2017). The report stated: “Progress has been fastest in the electricity... [Read More]

Hong-Kong headquartered Cathay Pacific will start to use biofuels on select long-haul flights in an effort to cut its carbon emissions, according to a media report in the South China Morning Post. Cathay flights to Hong Kong from the US, where the new fuel is produced, will use a combination of conventional jet fuel and biofuels starting in 2019, the South China Morning... [Read More]

Valero Energy Corp, the largest independent US refiner, reported a higher quarterly profit as lower corn and stronger ethanol prices boosted the company's ethanol unit results. Net income attributable to shareholders rose to $367 million (€339m), or 81 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $298 million, or 62 cents per share, a year earlier. Operating... [Read More]

US crude oil production is set to increase from an average of 8.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2016 to an average of 9.3 million b/d in 2018, primarily as a result of gains in the major US tight oil-producing states, according to US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) January Short-Term Energy Outlook. Texas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and New Mexico... [Read More]

A new study shows Nova Scotia has strong potential to develop an innovative biorefinery that produces an advanced biofuels from renewable sources of fibre. The liquid biofuel could be used to heat homes and power marine vessels, among other potential uses, according to a study done by Nova Scotia's Innovation Hub, an industrial, applied-research initiative. The study,... [Read More]

US ethanol exports to China, which were at an all-time high in 2016, are likely to dry up in the coming year thanks to a 30% import tariff, industry sources told Platts. “You’re not going to get the trade flow to happen,” an analyst at a biofuels trading company told the energy market information provider. “You’re not going to be able to export... [Read More]

A Washington man was sentenced this week for laundering more than $39 million for a company that bilked federal programs supporting renewable energy, according to Tri-City Herald. Richard Estes, 77, was part of a conspiracy involving Pasco-based Gen-X Energy Group. US District Court Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. sentenced him to eight years and nine months in prison after... [Read More]

Finnish renewable diesel Neste has sold its terminal in Pietarsaari to the Swedish company Wibax. The terminal has not been used for Neste's own operations for many years because the tanks and other facilities are not suitable for storing oil products without investments. Neste has been offering terminal and operations services for chemicals to a third-party customer. The... [Read More]

Jeremey Roswell, a UK-based pilot and environmentalist, has made history by flying a light aircraft more than 500 miles from Sydney to Melbourne, Australia, using fuel made from plastic waste. Conventional fuel was blended with 10% of fuel made from end-of-life plastic waste. UK-headquartered firm Plastic Energy manufactures the fuel. The main aim of the ‘On Wings... [Read More]

Emily Skor, CEO at Growth Energy, gives her outlook for the year ahead. 2016 was a game-changing year for America’s biofuel industry. From exports to the production of cellulosic biofuels, we set a new pace for success. And for the first time in years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced targets for conventional ethanol consumption that meet the goals... [Read More]

Britain is falling behind on its commitments to meet its 2020 renewable energy targets, while the European Union overall remains on track, according to a report by Reuters this morning. Other nations identified by the Commission as falling behind are Luxembourg and Ireland. Targets are set by the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED), introduced in 2009. The United... [Read More]

Finnish forest industry company UPM has featured on news programme CNN espousing the benefits of using biofuels. In an Eco Solutions programme entitled ‘The sustainable fuel growing on trees’, UPM Biofuels’ vice president Sari Mannonen discussed the process of making its wood-based diesel fuel – UPM BioVerno diesel. UPM BioVerno is a local, Finnish... [Read More]

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, has said the country will reduce imports and promote the use of palm oil usage for biofuels to reduce its dependency on other countries, due to an uncertain global environment. According to local website netralnews.com, Panjaitan said Indonesia must be read to face changes in a current... [Read More]

The global biodiesel market is projected to reach a total worth of $41.18 billion (€38.45bn) by 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 3.8%. A new study by RnR Market Research states biodiesel’s non-toxic and environmentally friendly properties, along with its greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, will increase its demand in automotive, power generation,... [Read More]

Carl Icahn, US President Donald Trump’s special adviser on regulatory reform, is facing a conflict of interest scrutiny after the shares of an energy company owned by him doubled in value. The shares of CVR Energy have surged after projections that the new administration would ease environmental regulations, including the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) that has cost... [Read More]