- Regulation & Legislation
- U.S. EPA Finalizes ‘RFS-2’ Renewable Fuels Rule
- India Government Mulls Higher Tax on Diesel Cars
- What Industries, Greens Say about U.S. EPA RFS-2 Renewable Fuels Rule
- U.S. ULSD Retail Compliance Now 99.4%
- ATA: Energy Commodity Markets Need More Oversight
- Refiners, Truckers Sue CARB over ‘Low Carbon Fuel Standard’ Rule
- Green Group Rips ‘Greenwashing’ on Euro-4 Cars, Fuels
- Technology
- ARC Natural-Gas-to-Diesel Plant to Start-up Next Month
- Kirloskar Inks MOU for Axial Vector Biofuel Engine Development
- Cat Boosts Diesel Power for Staatsolie Refinery
- Distillate Markets
- Latest World Diesel Price Survey Shows Gross Disparities
- Petrobras Updates ULSD Rollouts
- Fluor Wins Study for Petrobras U.S. Refinery
- Neste Wins €47 MM Insurance for Diesel Unit Failure
- Canadian Study Confirms Low-Temperature Problems with FAME Blends
- Saudi ULSD Production Delayed Again
- Market Report: Distillate Prices Rebound on Stock Fall, Cold Temps
- Distillate Watch
Regulation & Legislation
-
U.S. EPA Finalizes ‘RFS-2’ Renewable Fuels Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Feb. 3 issued its final “renewable fuel standard-2” (RFS-2) rule, spelling out terms for blending conventional fatty acid methyl ester biodiesel as well as “advanced” biofuels including refinery hydroprocessed “renewable diesel” or biomass-to-liquids Fischer-Tropsch renewable diesel in the U.S. diesel fuel pool.
-
India Government Mulls Higher Tax on Diesel Cars
A government-appointed commission recommends that India impose higher sales taxes on diesel cars and fuels.
-
What Industries, Greens Say about U.S. EPA RFS-2 Renewable Fuels Rule
Biofuels producers are elated about the final U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) RFS-2 renewable fuels rule, but oil refiners and some environmental groups remain skeptical about the revised, relatively generous EPA calculations on net “greenhouse” impact of conventional corn-ethanol and soybean-biodiesel.
-
U.S. ULSD Retail Compliance Now 99.4%
The industry/government Clean Diesel Fuel Alliance supported by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals that latest retail fuel station data shows that retailers have achieved a new high of 99.4% compliance with EPA’s 15 parts-per-million sulfur limit for ultra-low sulfur diesel, although pump labeling violations increased.
-
ATA: Energy Commodity Markets Need More Oversight
American Trucking Associations officials Feb. 3 urged that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission undertake greater oversight on energy commodity market trading.
-
Refiners, Truckers Sue CARB over ‘Low Carbon Fuel Standard’ Rule
The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA), the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Center for North American Energy Security and the Consumer Energy Alliance on Feb. 2 sued the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over the agency’s pioneering “low carbon fuel standard” (LCFS) rule.
-
Green Group Rips ‘Greenwashing’ on Euro-4 Cars, Fuels
India’s Center for Science and Environment – famous for leading the fight to ban “dirty” diesel vehicles and push compressed natural gas instead – is now trashing automakers for touting “green” cars that can’t be sold in the country.
Technology
-
ARC Natural-Gas-to-Diesel Plant to Start-up Next Month
Reno, Nevada-based Advanced Refining Concepts officials announced Feb. 3 they expect their 2,380-barrel-per-day natural-gas-to-diesel refinery to start-up in March.
-
Kirloskar Inks MOU for Axial Vector Biofuel Engine Development
Dubai-based Axial Vector officials announced Feb. 1 they’ve signed a memo of understanding with India-based non-road diesel engine maker Kirloskar Oil Engines for development of a vegetable-oil-tolerant Axial Vector engine.
-
Cat Boosts Diesel Power for Staatsolie Refinery
Caterpillar officials announced Feb. 1 that they’ll provide two 16CM32 medium-speed diesel generator-sets for a cogeneration power plant that will produce more than 25 megaWatts of power for the Staatsolie refinery in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Feature
-
-
Gazprom Expert Explains Global Lack of Operating UCG Plants
In a paper prepared for delivery to the upcoming 4th UCGP International Conference on underground coal gasification (UCG) in London, March 23-24, Gazprom UCG expert Efim Kreynin asks, and then answers, a key question: Why are there no industrial UCG enterprises in the world yet?
Transport News
-
Cummins Inks Diesel Engine Deal with Chrysler
Putting to rest rumors that Fiat-owned Chrysler would dump Cummins diesel engines in Ram pickup trucks, Cummins officials announced Feb. 3 a multi-year extension of its current agreement with Chrysler.
-
Auto Fuels Expert Joe Colucci Wins SAE International Medal of Honor
Former General Motors fuels and lubricants director Joe Colucci recently won the SAE International Medal of Honor, the automotive engineering industry’s highest award.
-
Haw Tai Producing Euro-5 Diesel Engines in China
According to a report last week from China’s CCTV news service, Haw Tai Automobile is producing Euro-5 emissions diesel engines for automobiles – well in advance of China’s likely nationwide switch to Euro-5 fuels and emissions standards.
-
Volvo Touts Low-CO2 Diesel Cars
Volvo officials announced Feb. 1 that “environmentally conscious Volvo customers can now buy a diesel-powered Volvo V70 or S80 with CO2 [carbon dioxide] emissions as low as 119 grams/kilometer (g/km) – corresponding to fuel consumption of just 4.5 liters/100 km.”
-
Cummins 4Q 2009 Profit Grows Despite Recession; N.A. Sales to Plummet
Cummins officials announced Feb. 2 that despite a recession that has slammed diesel engine sales in much of the world, the company nevertheless posted “the most profitable fourth quarter in company history,” eclipsing the previous mark set in 2007.
Distillate Markets
-
Latest World Diesel Price Survey Shows Gross Disparities
Venezuelan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Algeria, Egypt, Brunei and Ecuador continue to sell diesel fuel at retail far below the cost of crude oil, according to the latest GTZ “2009 International Fuel Prices” report, issued Jan. 29.
-
Petrobras Updates ULSD Rollouts
Petrobras officials late last month issued an update on the refiner’s plans to introduce ultra-low sulfur diesel of Euro-4 (50 parts per million – ppm – sulfur) and Euro-5 (10 ppm sulfur) qualities.
-
Fluor Wins Study for Petrobras U.S. Refinery
Texas-based Fluor officials announced Feb. 2 that they’ve won a front-end engineering study for a “prospective” project at Petrobras’ 100,000-barrels-per-day refinery at Pasadena, Texas.
-
Neste Wins €47 MM Insurance for Diesel Unit Failure
Neste Oil officials announced Feb. 1 that the company received a €47 million (US$65 million) insurance payment for refinery damage and lost production volumes following a fire on diesel production line four at the Porvoo refinery April 4, 2008.
-
Canadian Study Confirms Low-Temperature Problems with FAME Blends
A study funded by Natural Resources Canada and Canadian Petroleum Products Institute confirmed saturated mono-glycerides in biodiesel blends will plug fuel filters at low temperatures typical of Canadian winters.
-
Saudi ULSD Production Delayed Again
The Shell/Saudi Aramco Sasref joint-venture refinery won’t be producing Euro-5 (10 parts per million sulfur) ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel for export this month, but instead aims to start-up in March or April, according to a Reuters report quoting an unidentified “industry source.”
-
Market Report: Distillate Prices Rebound on Stock Fall, Cold Temps
Middle distillate prices in major world futures markets started out weaker last week, then rebounded late in the week on falling distillate stocks, refinery turnarounds and “unseasonably” colder weather in the northern U.S.
-
Distillate Watch
Distillate prices made a late-week comeback on falling stocks and colder weather.
