- Features
- Biodiesel pipeline logistics hinge on test for trace amounts
- Ethanol prices’ slide halted in latest week
- Foreign investment doubles, but Brazil’s ethanol market still tough to crack
- Equities analyst predicts ethanol prices will stay low through 2008
- Prices & Markets
- Report Blend Values
- Report Spreads
- Report Margins
- Report Equities
- Retail E-85
- Spot Grains
- Rack Ethanol
- Spot Biodiesel
- Spot Oxygenates
- Spot Butanes
- Spot Gasoline
- Spot Co-Products
- Futures Corn
- Futures Ethanol
- Futures Soybeans
- Also This Week
- On eve of B-2 mandate, Brazil may find biodiesel in short supply
- Nobel chemist joins chorus claiming biofuels greenhouse emissions even worse
- Ag Minister confirms India blending mandate will go to 10% next year
- USDA agency awards $18M in rural renewable projects
- Study: Refinery hydrotreated renewable diesel blends boost cetane
- High grain costs force Abengoa to power down ethanol plant in Spain
- Sweden intends to lift ethanol import duty
- In Florida, trade conference draws anti-tariff crowd
Also This Week
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On eve of B-2 mandate, Brazil may find biodiesel in short supply
Brazil has the capacity to produce about 140 million liters of biodiesel monthly, although companies have been producing about 20 million liters a month due to high feedstock prices.
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Nobel chemist joins chorus claiming biofuels greenhouse emissions even worse
The researchers said they were particularly concerned about the N20 emissions, as the emissions are 296 times more powerful than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
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Ag Minister confirms India blending mandate will go to 10% next year
The measures are intended to reduce the country's sugar stocks and address rising fuel demand, Pawar said.
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USDA agency awards $18M in rural renewable projects
The funds are intended to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses install renewable energy generation systems and make energy efficiency improvements.
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Study: Refinery hydrotreated renewable diesel blends boost cetane
Lubricity and cold-flow concerns with renewable diesel blends can be addressed with commercial additives.
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High grain costs force Abengoa to power down ethanol plant in Spain
The plant, in Salamanca province in central Spain, is half owned by food group Ebro Puleva and was halted for about four months earlier this year for similar reasons.
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Sweden intends to lift ethanol import duty
The announcement speaks to the apparent success of Lula's visit. His tour of Scandinavia was aimed at striking a deal to standardize the co-development of ethanol in order to create a larger world market for its trade.
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In Florida, trade conference draws anti-tariff crowd
David Rothkopf said that the import duty was being refunded to the energy companies that import ethanol because of a rebate to companies that blend ethanol into gasoline as a fuel additive.
Features
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Biodiesel pipeline logistics hinge on test for trace amounts
An ethanol pipeline will be the subject of a feasibility study conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy, if a measure under the Senate version of the energy bill makes the cut. In the meantime, some producers and distributors have been conducting experiments in similarly transporting biodiesel blends.Putting biodiesel into existing pipelines would obviously allow for faster transport and at less expense and energy consumption than current transportation methods, but the method is not without its logistical problems.Buckeye Partners, for example, which through subsidiaries owns approximately 5,400 miles of petroleum pipelines, has had success transporting B-5, but must remain vigilant for trace amounts of the blend. -
Ethanol prices’ slide halted in latest week
The U.S. average national price of ethanol broke its eight-week downward trend, increasing one cent this week to $1.66/al.This one-cent increase for spot ethanol occurred in the midst of rising crude oil futures prices. Crude oil finished the week at $81.40/bbl.Increases were seen in many different regions of the U.S., including the Midwest spot ethanol market, which increased 3 cents from last week. The East and West Coast markets, as well as the Midwest market, saw price increases of one cent. Only the Gulf Coast market remained unchanged for the week. -
Foreign investment doubles, but Brazil’s ethanol market still tough to crack
Foreign investment in Brazil's sugar and ethanol industry is still small but has more than doubled this year, according to figures released today by local agricultural consultancy Datagro.The figures are surprising because large foreign interests such as Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Germany's Suedzucker AG continue to be stymied in taking a larger share of Brazil’s market. Last year, India's largest sugar and ethanol maker, Bajaj Hindusthan Ltd., announced a $500 million spending plans to acquire some Brazilian mills, but Bajaj, too, has yet to close a deal.Brazil needs billions of dollars in investment to expand production and to build the pipelines, ports and other infrastructure it needs to take advantage of projected global demand, analysts say.But lax book-keeping, questions about fair labor practices, and political resistance to divestiture of the country’s largest industry have made foreign companies wary of putting up the investment. -
Equities analyst predicts ethanol prices will stay low through 2008
Friedman Billings Ramsey became the latest to take a negative view on ethanol producers on Thursday, downgrading three ethanol producers and predicting the industry's growing pains will continue due to small profit margins and oversupply.Ethanol production will almost double next year and leave the market very well supplied, FBR energy market analyst Eitan Bernstein said, sharing a view that has held down expectations for many observing the market. Already ethanol production margins have plummeted to about 15 cents per gallon from 75 cents in mid-May, as the price of ethanol has steadily fallen. Furthermore, Bernstein is taking the view that prices will stay low through 2008. Subsequently, he has reduced his ethanol price estimates for 2007 to 2010.Ethanol for immediate delivery will cost an average of $2.05 per gallon this year, Bernstein estimated, down from $2.20. The analyst now sees an average of $1.80 per gallon from 2008 to 2010, down from $1.95.
