News

Seven certification schemes which conform to the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) have been approved by the European Commission. The formally recognised programmes include ISCC, Bonsucro EU, RTRS EU RED, RSB EU RED, 2BSvs, RSBA and Greenergy. Energy commissioner Günther Oettinger named the schemes on 19 July 2011, saying: 'We need to make sure that the entire biofuels'…
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In the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, biodiesel producer Unitec Bio is to break ground on its biodiesel plant, located in Puerto General San Martin city. Operations at the €49.3 million biodiesel production facility are planned to start in the second half of 2012. It will produce 240,000 tonnes a year of biodiesel. The plant is being erected close by to Unitec's existing 240,000 tonne…
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In Denmark, the city of Fredericia is looking to convert municipal waste into a biofuel that can fuel public buses and power homes. As the city's mayor Thomas Banke explains: 'Our goal is to change the management of wastewater and household rubbish from a costly problem into a valuable resource for local energy production. Rubbish will be turned into gas, which will be sold and become an asset…
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The European Commission has formally approved Greenergy's gold standard sustainability criteria for Brazilian bioethanol, under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). The approval enables major fuel supplier Greenergy to supply all 27-member states with sustainably sourced bioethanol. Although biofuels being sold in the EU must comply with the RED mandates, countries are interpreting the…
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The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels' (RSB) standard and certification system has been recognised by the EU as a way to demonstrate and document compliance with the EU biofuels mandate. In order to qualify under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), biofuels consumed within the EU must demonstrate environmental benefits compared to its fossil-based alternatives. In order to count toward the…
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Bonsucro's certification scheme, used to certify the sustainable production of sugarcane, has been formally recognised by the EU. Ethanol certified by Bonsucro conforms to the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the EU Fuels Quality Directive (FQD). 'Bonsucro EU certification will not only show compliance with the Union's sustainability rules, but also guarantees…
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In the US, Western Wisconsin Energy's board of directors has decided to sell the biofuel plant. The company was set up in 2003 and in 2006 finished building its 40 million gallon a year ethanol plant. Today, the Western Wisconsin Energy plant can produce 55 million gallons of ethanol a year. Tours of the plant will be taking place between 1 August and 12 August. Ascendant Financial Partners has…
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In the south-central region of Brazil, the total sugarcane crush has fallen to 533.5 million tonnes – a drop of 4.21% compared to the 2010/11 end of season harvest. According to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA), the major factors which led to the decrease in sugarcane crush were the increased age at which sugarcane fields are now expected to produce yields, coupled with…
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Virgin Australia, Richard Branson’s airline, is to fuel its planes with biofuel derived from gum trees. In the first project of its kind in the world, the airline has partnered with the Renewable Oil Corporation, Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation (DYMTF) and Future Farm Industries Co-operative Research Centre (FFI CRC), to process eucalyptus trees into fuel in a Western Australian-based…
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Germany-based bioethanol producer CropEnergies has released its first quarter results for the 2011/12 financial year. Revenues for Q1 reached €132.1 million – a 41% increase on the previous year's €93.5 million in revenues. The operating profit also increased, from €2.4 million to €15.3 million. The production of bioethanol increased by 14% in Q1 2011/12 to 157,000m3,…
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In the US, biofuels company Sundrop Fuels and Chesapeake NG Ventures (CNGV), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Energy, have struck a deal that will see Sundrop break ground on a commercial demonstration facility to produce bio-based transport fuel from cellulosic materials. The deal, which closed on 11 July 2011, will see CNGV invest $155 million (€110 million) in Sundrop. Current…
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Renewable Energy Group (REG), the largest biodiesel producer in the US, has finalised the acquisition of the majority of SoyMor Biodiesel's Albert Lea, Minnesota assets. The assets include the company's biodiesel plant and the soya lecithin facility assets of SoyMor Cooperative in exchange for common stock and the assumption of certain liabilities. The biodiesel plant has been out of service…
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'Brazil ended trade-distorting subsidies for ethanol more than a decade ago and eliminated its ethanol tariff early last year. We are pleased that this agreement would have the United States do the same. As the world's top producers of ethanol, the US and Brazil should lead by example in creating a free market for clean, renewable energy.' This is a statement released by the Brazilian Sugarcane…
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In the US, ethanol producer Poet has been offered a conditional commitment for a $105 million (€75 million) loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DoE). If finalised, the loan will go towards building a biofuel production plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, that will convert corncobs, leaves, husks and stalks into 25 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol. 'This project will help…
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