Other News

Spain's Abengoa earned €1.656 billion in revenues during the first quarter of 2011. This is a 43% increase compared to the same period in 2010. EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes, non-controlling interests, depreciation and amortisation) also increased this year and reached €254 million, while the company's net income for Q1 2011 was €56 million, an 8% increase from…
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The Brazilian government says it will implement new regulations on its ethanol market next month, which will require producers and distributors to implement supply contracts lasting at least one year, in order to avoid shortages and prevent price spikes. The new regulations are expected to help the government to plan the supply and demand for sugarcane-based fuel and therefore stop ethanol…
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Renewable energy company and technology developer Coskata has issued biorefinery developer Fagen with a letter of intent (LOI) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for its commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant to be built in Boligee, Alabama, US. Harris Group, a key player in advanced biofuels engineering, will lead the EPC process. 'Fagen and Harris Group will…
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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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In Argentina, Nestor Lopez, president of Agrupacion de Colaboracion San Antonio, has opened the company's first biodiesel plant. Mayor Francisco Guiterrez and industry secretary William Gardella also attended the ceremony. The plant, which is currently running at 30% capacity, can produce biodiesel from a variety of fat and oil feedstocks. The company's vice president Diego Lopez says the…
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In Argentina, Q2 2011 biofuel output reached a monthly average of 209,486 tonnes, breaking the previous record. This is a 38% increase compared to Q2 2010. In June 2011 production reached an all-time high of 219,000 tonnes, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses. This rise in production has been attributed to growing domestic consumption, which totalled around 132,000…
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The construction of ethanol producer Poet's commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa, US, will remain on track after it received final approval for a $105 million (€78 million) loan guarantee from the US Department of Energy (DoE). The plant, Project Liberty, will be able to produce 25 million gallons a year of cellulosic ethanol from biomass when it comes online. 'This…
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American energy company One World Clean Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with South African company Pulexilite to produce biodiesel, ethanol, electricity and natural gas from a new integrated biorefinery. The biorefinery will produce 10MW of electricity each day and 10 million gallons of ethanol and 10 million gallons of biodiesel every year. The $115 million (€83 million)…
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South African company Sasol Synfuels has opened its first cobalt catalyst manufacturing facility in Sasolburg which will convert gas to liquids (GTL). The company will supply the catalyst production to Qatar, Nigeria and Uzbekistan; creating 50 permanent jobs in the local South African community in the process. Lean Strauss, Sasol senior group executive, says: ‘Our total capital spend in…
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The US Navy says it is to adapt a biofuel blend for aircraft and vessel use which will be put in use near Hawaii around the middle of next year. About 450,000 gallons of biofuels will power a navy carrier group during a maritime exercise as part of a $12 million (€8.95 million) deal with Dynamic Fuels, which is a joint venture between Tyson Foods and Syntroleum. Solazyme will also work with…
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While northern Europe is shut down following snow showers, it seems poor weather has damaged Brazil’s ethanol industry. Excessive rain has slowed the harvest of sugarcane, reducing supplies. This has led the government to announce it may need to cut the mandatory amount of biofuel mixed in petrol from 25%, as soon as next week. Above-average rainfall in Brazil’s Centre South, the world’s…
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A Californian ethanol plant could soon start grinding again. The former $130 million (€92.2 million) Cilion ethanol plant in Keyes is expected to be in operation again by the end of March after AE Biofuels took up the lease. Leasing the 55 mgy plant will cost $250,000 a month and AE Biofuels plans to install its cellulosic ethanol technology so wheat straw, corn stalks and agricultural waste…
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RWE npower renewables has teamed up with paper maker Tullis Russell to construct a biomass plant. RWE develops renewable energy in the UK and the new biomass plant and will be its biggest plant yet. The facility will use biomass to provide steam and electricity to the company’s power plant. 50MW of energy will be generated, taking the place of the coal-burning plant currently used by…
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The legally binding Recommendation 141, issued by the Bern Convention, is warning that some foreign biofuel crops are having a detrimental effect on the natural environment. It states that certain imported crops are disturbing areas outside of cultivated fields and having a negative impact on native biodiversity. As a result, the Council of Europe has made advances to reduce the potential…
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