Other News

The travel industry intends to answer industry demands to lower taxes on jet fuel. 'We look forward to some fundamental changes that will give the travel and tourism market a big boost. There is a pressing need to review taxes on air travel, which is probably the most heavily-taxed product in the country, where the tax component of airfare often exceeds the underlying price of that ticket,' says…
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Petrobras has announced a joint venture with agricultural research firm Embrapa to expand ethanol production in southern Brazil. The partnership aims to develop varieties of sugarcane that can be adapted to temperate climates, Brazil's federal energy Petrobras said in a statement. The new crop is thought to be resistant to plagues and designed thrive in cool, dry climates. Research will be…
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A quick peek at what you can expect to find in this issue's Biofuels International The July/August issue of Biofuels International is hot off the press and we would like to fill you in on some of the content you can expect to find. This issue's theme is first generation production and we have a number of articles covering this prevalent issue. In this issue's featured article on first generation…
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The US Energy Information Administration has published the July issue of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which increases its 2014 and 2015 ethanol production forecasts for the second month running. The EIA expects ethanol production to average 932,000 barrels per day this year, up from the June forecast of 920,000 barrels per day. In the week beginning the 9 June, the highest weekly level…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a notice detailing contract proposals for its Advanced Biofuel Payment Programme. According to the NOCP, the programme, which gives payments to producers to support and expand advanced biofuels production, has $15 million (€11 million) available for the fiscal year 2014. The programme rules state that the number of awards and financial…
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A Houston federal grand jury has indicted the owner and CEO of two biodiesel companies with renewable identification number (RIN) fraud, in a scheme that allegedly made him over $29 million (€21 million). The 68-count against Philip Joseph Rivkin, includes allegations of wire fraud, mail fraud, Clean Air Act false statements and money laundering. 'The indictment alleges that…
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Canada's biofuel support programmes have been 'a dismal failure,' with costs outweighing benefits by a three-to-one margin, according to a  study released by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Between the years of 2008 to 2012, the study's authors estimate the biofuels policies to have cost between $3 (€2.20) and $3.50 (€2.60) for every dollar of social and environmental benefits.…
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A marine engine recently launched in the UK hopes to run on 100% biodiesel fuel. In compliance with IMO 2 emissions rules, AGCO Power in Finland builds the heavy duty engines, which are then sold in the UK by Mermaid Marine. The Citius series engines are available in four and six cylinder versions, between 130 and 410 horsepower. 'The fuel – either 100% biodiesel alone, or in any mixture…
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The Ministry of Energy has recently announced the shortlisted companies, including Shell, BP and PTT, for a joint venture contract distributing jet fuel. The ministry invited tenders interested in forming a joint venture for fuel distribution in Mingaladon Township, Myanmar (Burma). A total of 23 bidders submitted their respective proposals, where the ministry then made the shortlist of 15…
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Alaska Airlines is using new flight procedures as a result of the agency's Greener Skies initiative, a regional rollout of the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System in Seattle, currently in its second phase. The primary objective of the first phase of the programme, which began in 2010, was to develop and implement two Area Navigation (RNAV) arrivals and six Required Navigation…
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The US Supreme Court has declined to take up a challenge to the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeal's September 2013 ruling on California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). That ruling found that the LCFS programme is constitutional, overturning a previous ruling stating that it violates interstate commerce laws. In March, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy sent a petition to…
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The country's first commercial biofuels-powered flight, operated by British Midland International (BMI) between Karlstad and Frankfurt and by Nextjet between Karlstad and Stockholm, has left Sweden.  Opened on the 26 June, Karlstad Airport has become the first airport in Europe to install a fixed storage tank facility for aviation biofuel. 'We hope that this Karlstad biofuel programme will…
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Biodiesel production in Brazil and Argentina will rise 'sharply' this year, increasing the demand for soyabean oil as a raw material, Oil World reported. Brazilian biodiesel output will increase to 3.1 million metric tonnes this year from 2.56 million tonnes in 2013, with soyabean oil used as the main feedstock. From July, Brazil's government has mandated biodiesel to account for 6% of diesel…
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