Brazil-based energy firm Petrobras has begun building a 528-mile ethanol pipeline, in conjunction with PMCC and construction company Camargo Correa. Work on the pipeline commenced on 22 November 2010, the first section of which will connect the cities Ribeirao Preto to Paulinia. Ribeirao Preto is a major sugarcane- producing region, while Paulinia is a key fuel distribution... [Read More]

B5 biodiesel will not be available to the people of Thailand until the end of January next year, after flooding in the southern region is thought to affect palm production. The energy ministry has delayed the introduction of B5 to petrol stations from 1 January 2011 to mid- to late January. Energy minister Wannarat Charnnukul believes that the introduction of B5 may... [Read More]

In northern Peru energy company Maple Energy is looking to commence the first phase of its ethanol and biomass project before the end of the year. Phase one of this $254 million (€191.4 million) development will see Maple Energy plant 7,800 hectares of sugarcane in the main estate. Upon construction, the plant, which is slated for mid-2011, will convert 5,000 tonnes... [Read More]

Despite facing lawsuits totalling over $18 million (€13.6 million) in three counties, Green Power is planning to reopen and hire an estimated 500 staff. Green Power markets municipal waste-to-biodiesel technology. Despite there being no plant utilising this technology to date, Green Power owner Michael Spitzauer claims he has received orders and plans to begin constructing... [Read More]

Europe’s main biofuel production port, and a key player in bulk liquid fuel storage, Ghent has 600 hectares of land available for investment following 14 years of infrastructural work. The new space has already attracted 13 companies and at the end of November Brazil-based Companhia Brasileira de Logistica announced it would invest €70 million in the construction... [Read More]

In the US, 13.95 billion gallons of biofuels must be blended with conventional fossil-based transport fuels by next year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) requirements for 2011. Of this renewable fuel, 0.78% (1.35 billion gallons) of it will be made up of advanced biofuel, 0.69% (800 million gallons) of biomass-based... [Read More]

Illinois is traditionally known for mass ethanol production owing to its position in the US corn belt, but now biodiesel availability is on the up thanks to fuel terminal operator Kinder Morgan. From mid-December Renewable Energy Group’s REG 9000/1 biodiesel will be available for splash blending at Kinder Morgan’s Argo, Illinois, terminal. REG expects biodiesel from... [Read More]

From April 2011 Europe’s largest airline Lufthansa is to trial biofuel in an Airbus A321 engine. The six-month trial will see the airline use a 50:50 blend of biofuel and kerosene on its local commercial flights from Hamburg to Frankfurt and back again. The project will allow Lufthansa to test the effect of biofuels on plane engines, looking at engine maintenance... [Read More]

Switzerland-headquartered biodiesel producer BioPetrol Industries is to acquire the entire issued share capital of Dutch Biodiesel BV, a manufacturer of biodiesel, after signing an agreement. The deal is subject to shareholder approval and customary closing conditions being satisfied by BioPetrol and Dutch Biodiesel shareholders. Following the satisfaction of these conditions,... [Read More]

Mexico’s first biodiesel plant has begun operations. The nation’s president Felipe Calderon opened the production facility on 26 November 2010 in the south eastern state of Chiapas. The plant will convert jatropha, palm oil and recycled oil into 20,000 litres per day of biodiesel for use as transport fuel in local vehicles.... [Read More]

As refining and marketing company Neste Oil’s renewable fuels business enters a new phase following two major investment projects, the company has decided to merge its Oil Products and Renewable Fuels business areas. Neste Oil’s financial reporting will remain unchanged and Oil Products and Renewable Fuels will continue to form separate reporting segments. Currently... [Read More]

The city of LaHarpe in Illinois, US, will soon be home to Bio-NRG’s new $38 million (€26.7 million) biodiesel plant. The plant is still in the development stages, however Bio-NRG is looking to start building the facility in 2011. With an estimated completion time of between 12 and 15 months, the plant should be up and running by 2012. Bio-NRG will operate the plant... [Read More]

Following the recent stakeholders' consultation organised by the European Commission to address the issue of indirect land use change (ILUC), the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) calls on the Commission to review modelling work and ensure scientific robustness to calculate ILUC. Developing the science to calculate and understand ILUC has become crucial... [Read More]

Sitimas Holdings, Sime Derby, Mabanaft, Dialog, Shell, Jurong Port, ASB Biodiesel, Thai Oil, ConocoPhillips, Dialog, MISC, SK Energy, Langsat Terminal, Dovechem, Vopak – just some of the names registered for next week’s Bioenergy International Asia expo & conference at the Hotel Maya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 10-11th November. Sustainability standards forms... [Read More]