A Zimbabwean investor is looking to plough $500 million (€360 million) into an ethanol production plant in Kawambwa, Luapula Province, in Zambia. Luapula Province's permanent secretary Chanda Kasolo says the 110,000 hectare sugar plantation has been delayed because of lobbying with the Ministry Mines, Energy and Water Development to issue a Statutory Instrument (SI)... [Read More]

Brazil's São Martinho, a sugar and ethanol group, has acquired Santa Cruz sugar and ethanol mill from Luiz Ometto Partcipações and other stake holders. São Martinho is willing to pay 315.8 million reais (€101 million) over a 10-year period for 56% of Santa Cruz's capital. This will bring São Martinho's total stake in Santa Cruz... [Read More]

Experts in Mozambique are meeting to discuss strategies for producing clean energy to reduce pollution and costs in the import of fossil fuel. Mozambique is looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by producing ethanol from sugarcane. Jaime Himede, the country's deputy energy minister, says: 'Biofuels are of great interest to Mozambique, the reason why the government... [Read More]

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) predicts a surge in the amount of cane harvest that is used in ethanol production. UNICA estimates 56% of cane processed will be used to produce fuel, up 1.66 compared to 2013/2014. As a result, ethanol production is expected to increase by 1.2%, reaching 25.87 billion litres. A cane crush of 580 million tonnes for the... [Read More]

Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Phillipsburg, Kansas, will build a renewable diesel facility on site. WB Services will integrate the 3 million gallon per year (MMgy) facility onto the site where the 40 MMgy plant sits.  Ron Beemiller, president and CEO of WB Services, says: ‘This plant will be the first of its kind—the first renewable... [Read More]

CHS, an ethanol marketer, has signed an agreement to acquire Sinav's Illinois River Energy ethanol plant at Rochelle, Illinois. The plant, which has a capacity of 133 million gallons per year, began operations in 2006. Sinav first acquired the plant in January 2012 when it bought GTL Resources. After making a number of improvements, it put the facility up for sale in January... [Read More]

Producers of cellulosic ethanol say they can produce more of the fuel this year than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed last November. Biofuel companies scheduled to start making cellulosic ethanol at four plants this year say the industry is finally ready to increase production numbers. They warn, however, that progress could be delayed if the EPA chooses... [Read More]

Corn oil was the fastest growing feedstock for biodiesel production in 2013. According to Joe Riley, FEC Solutions, approximately 85% of today's dry grind ethanol plants are extracting corn oil to create a new co-product and additional revenue streams. Corn oil extraction in the ethanol-making process remains ever-popular. 'This can be done at a relatively low capital... [Read More]

A number of states are teaming up to tackle a legal dispute over California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) at the US Supreme Court. A group of 21 states have filed a brief, requesting the Supreme Court to review a decision made by a lower court, challenging the LCFS. One month before this brief, The Growth Energy and the Renewable Fuels Association filed a similar one,... [Read More]

The European Commission has selected Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant as a demonstrator multi-KETs pilot line. Known for the development, scale-up and custom manufacturing of biobased processes and products, the Belgium-based pilot plant has recently been chosen as one of the four European demonstrator multi-KETs pilot lines. Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant is best recognised for... [Read More]

The Turku region of Finland is investing over $350 million (€253 million) in a plant that will run mainly on local wood chips. TSE, the Turku region's energy consortium, will replace a 50-year-old coal plant in Naantali with a multi-fuel facility, fuelled by 100% biomass and waste. The facility is expected to burn between 915,000 and 1.57 million cubic yards per year... [Read More]

The Scoular Company and Vireol Bio-Industries are in partnership to run the Hopewell facility, in Virginia. Scoular will procure corn, operate the grain facility and market the distiller's grain. The company, who has already started to buy corn and receive contracts, began leasing the grain facility in Hopewell last August, before Vireol confirmed that the plant would... [Read More]

W2 Energy, a green technology company, has started production at its biofuel plant in Cambridge, Ontario. The company's production will start on a batch basis and, after testing various small batches of fuel, are confident the plant will produce ASTM specification fuel on a consistent basis. Michael McLaren, CEO of W2 Energy, says: 'Our current plan is to ramp up production... [Read More]

The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) has released its 2020 vision. Its 19 page Evolution and Growth document, which establishes a plan to take the industry through to 2020, includes six recommendations for provincial and federal governments on how they can support the biofuel sector. Scott Thurlow, CRFA president, says: 'These are the pivot points that we think... [Read More]

Lufthansa is testing a new type of biofuel for use in aircraft to increase its efforts to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions. The aircraft carrier is teaming up with Gevo to research the blending of Gevo's ATJ with conventional kerosene for aircraft use. The alcohol-to-jet fuel producer uses fermented plant waste from a range of sources to produce isobutanol, a form of... [Read More]

The South African government shows support for Mabele Fuels' biofuel programme with a potential investment. Mabele Fuels, a clean energy company, has been awaiting subsidy approval from the government to build South Africa's largest biofuels refinery. Ben Martins, the South African minister of energy, reports that the final biofuels position paper will be published in... [Read More]