Other News

Headquartered in Finland, refining and marketing company Neste Oil’s €550 million renewable diesel plant in Singapore is almost ready to begin production. Producing 800,000 tonnes of renewable diesel a year, NExBTL is now 10% away from completion and is due to come online in Q4 of 2010. The plant will begin by utilising palm oil only but has the ability to use other feedstocks, including…
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In New Mexico the Center of Excellence for Hazardous Materials Management (CEHMM) opened what it claims to be the world's first vertically integrated algal biorefinery. The refinery uses saltwater micro-algae grown in ponds that are high in oil, which is then extracted and used for biodiesel production. The remaining algae material can also be used as a livestock feed. Experts hope a…
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With a view of forming a joint venture to create a biofuels business, Amelot Oil and state-owned energy provider Barbados National Oil Company Ltd. (BNOCL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Amelot Oil is owned by renewable fuels manufacturer Amelot Holdings and is already producing biodiesel from used cooking oil at its Amelot Oil Barbados plant, and has been since 2008. The…
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The deal is finally done and dusted. In the US the state Public Utilities Commission has given Hawaiian Electric (HECO) approval to buy renewable biodiesel from a subsidiary of Iowa-based producer Renewable Energy Group. The fuel, 3 to 7 million gallons in total, processed from used cooking oil and waste animal fat will be used at Hawaiian Electric's new 110MW combustion turbine generator…
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The grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion (€1.641 billion) in Canada. This is the conclusion of Doyletech Corporation’s impact assessment of renewable fuels investments in Canada and reported by the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. After looking at Canada’s 28 ethanol and biodiesel refineries the study found that investing in biofuels…
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Privately held company ICM of Colwich, Kansas, US, is to build a second generation biofuels plant after being given the green light by the US Department of Energy. From August this year the company will begin converting an existing grain-to-ethanol plant into a cellulosic ethanol facility that will use corn fibre, switchgrass and energy sorghum. The $25 million (€20.7 million) project will…
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An inked deal between China and the US-based aerospace firm Boeing will see China launch its first biofuel-powered flight later this year. The agreement was signed following the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meting at a ceremony that will see a venture between Boeing, Air China and oil company PetroChina. The project will use jatropha for the production of biofuels and this will be…
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Grocery provider Ocado is an online supermarket that delivers produce to your home in vans powered only by biodiesel. However the company’s green promise, designed to attract eco-aware customers, has been broken and Ocado’s co-founder Jason Gissing has been forced to confess after one of the firm’s trucks was spotted filling up with conventional diesel at a BP Connect fuel station in…
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In a partnership that will see the construction of China’s largest cellulosic ethanol demonstration plant, Novozymes, COFCO and Sinopec have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). As stated in the agreement, the world’s third-largest oil refinery Sinopec and producer and supplier of processed agricultural products COFCO will built the facility, while Novozymes will provide the enzymes…
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Since December 31 2009 the US’ 173 biodiesel plants had almost ceased production following the expiration of the $1-a-gallon (€0.8) biodiesel tax credit. Now the US House of Representatives has passed a legislation to extend the credit until the end of 2010. While President Obama cannot sign the legislation into law before it has received approval from the US Senate, a spokesman for the…
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In a move that exemplifies the Brazilian ethanol market, ethanol producer Acucar Guarani has acquired the Mandu mill based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is thought that around 50% of the 400 smaller mills located in the state will be taken over by larger-scale companies. And Acucar Guarani is no different, purchasing the mill for BRL345 million (€154 million) and its debt, which, in December…
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The Brazilian Innovation Agency, FINEP (Research and Projects Financing), and Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) have entered into a new partnership to promote bioethanol development, establishing a programme which will provide up to $540 million (€438.9 million) in financing to the country’s biofuels sector. With operations scheduled to begin on 30 July the project aims to promote…
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Georgia, US-based Mansfield Oil has acquired fuel ethanol distribution and marketing company Western Ethanol assets. California-headquartered Western Ethanol provides bulk deliveries of ethanol and specialises in the distribution of E85 for use in flex-fuel vehicles. ‘Our acquisition of Western Ethanol is an important addition to our renewable fuels strategy and provides Western’s customers…
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