News

Reuters has reported that French oil & gas firm Total has chosen to delay its planned biodiesel refinery, named La Mede, until the first quarter of 2019. The news agency cites the company’s chief financial officer. The refinery is estimated to have a capacity of 500,000 tonnes of biodiesel. In June of this year, Biofuels International reported that the planned refinery had been met…
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Ontario’s Government for the People has announced a new, made-in-Ontario environment plan. The proposed climate change solution claims that new regulations should help lower greenhouse gas emissions and support communities to protect themselves from climate change. The plan specifies how it will carry out particular climate action initiatives that will require an increased use of renewable…
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Finnish forest industry company and biofuel producer UPM has started an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a possible biorefinery in Mussalo, Kotka, in the southeast of Finland. The proposed site is in the area of a dismantled power plant formerly run by the Pohjolan Voima energy company. According to UPM, the study for the possible Kotka Biorefinery is in the very early stages, with the…
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A cap on RIN prices and a waiver of the Environmental Protection Agency’s E15 ban were discussed to try and reach a ‘win-win’ solution to the competing interests of Big Corn and Big Oil in the biofuels debate. The meeting was of a mix of industry representatives and Senators from oil producing and corn producing states. Statements describing the discussion were tentative, with…
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A letter from five corn-state Senators’ follows criticism from the biofuels industry of the Environmental Protection Agency’s use of waivers. In a 9 April letter to the President, five Senators urged Trump to halt the EPA’s use of ‘hardship’ waivers to relieve refineries of their obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It was revealed last week that the…
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The company says the 410 horsepower vehicle can enable CO2 reductions of up to 90%. Scania has released an alternative fuel engine option for the new truck generation and Euro 6 emissions standard. The new bioethanol engine delivers 2,150 Nm, equal to that of its diesel counterpart. The fuel consumption is also on a par with a conventional diesel engine. The truck uses compression ignition…
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California is becoming increasingly important for the biofuels industry. The state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is designed to encourage the use of cleaner, low carbon fuels. Biodiesel in particular stands to be a significant beneficiary, being one of the lowest cost compliance options for the standard. As a result, more and more producers are turning their attention to the Golden…
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US biofuel producer Hero BX is aiming to drastically boost the capacity of a shutdown biodiesel facility it recently purchased in South Roxana, Illinois.   As reported by Biodiesel Magazine, the acquisition of the 12MGY facility was made in an auction held by Maas Companies, which closed on 24 July 2018. Financial terms for the acquisition of the former Midwest Biodiesel Products facility…
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Reported by Energy Voice, Virgin Atlantic is operating its first LanzaTech biofuel flight from Orlando, Florida, to London Gatwick. The Boeing 747 will be using a bioethanol and conventional turbine fuel mix. “Long-haul travel is more important than ever for connecting people around the world. It’s our responsibility to ensure we’re doing that in the most sustainable way…
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This week, the European Parliament voted and passed the revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) with goals set for post-2020. Included in the policy is an EU-wide increased renewable energy target of 32% by 2030, up from the 20% target in 2009. The directive also contains a binding target of a minimum of 14% for renewables in transport by 2030. However, the revision also introduces a cap on…
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US trade association Growth Energy’s CEO Emily Skor appeared before the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Environment’s hearing this week. The hearing was based around a discussion draft put forth by representatives John Shimkus (Republic, Illinois) and Bill Flores (Rebublic, Texas) to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in…
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UPM Biofuels has received a RSB sustainability certificate for the cultivation of the Brassica carinata crop, a new feedstock for biofuel production. It is the first time an RSB (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) certificate has been issued in Uruguay. "RSB certification acknowledges our strong commitment to sustainability in all operations, now also in biofuel feedstock production with…
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After a failed push in December to get tax credits for biofuels retroactively extended, 2017 tax credits for the biofuels and nuclear energy sectors came through with Congress’ 9 February deal to keep the government open. According to Bloomberg, the tax credits include a $1-a-gallon credit for mixing biofuel with and a $1.01 credit for the production of cellulosic ethanol. Both of these…
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Renewable Identification Numbers produced at Velocys’ ENVIA Energy plant have been verified by an independent third party auditor. Auditing company Weaver has delivered the verification under the Quality Assurance Program approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Provided the Oklahoma City located ENVIA plant continues operating within the required efficiency range, it is expected…
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