Prices were higher across the U.S. spot ethanol market the week ending December 17.

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), The Andersons (ANDE) and Bunge Ltd. (BG) were all lower on the equity market the week ending December 17.

U.S. fuel ethanol inventories rose the week ending December 10, while production fell.

Ethanol and biodiesel RINs were lower the week ending December 17.

NYMEX crude oil and refined product futures were a bit higher the week ending December 17.

NYMEX No. 11 sugar futures jumped the week ending December 17.

The prices of Brazilian anhydrous and hydrous ethanol were steady the week ending December 17.

U.S. cash corn and soybean prices moved higher the week ending December 17.

Monthly U.S. ethanol production declined in September 2010, while inventories (stocks) were slightly higher.

U.S. renewable diesel inventory (stocks) figures continued to fall in September 2010.

Amyris, Inc. and Cosan SA Industria e Comércio announced December 15 that they have executed a binding agreement to establish a joint venture for the worldwide development, production and commercialization of renewable base oils.

Mexican biofuels company Recursos Renovables Alternativos (RRA) is planning to begin construction of its first algal biodiesel plant in February 2011, now that it has received financing of US$27 million from the Export-Import Bank of the United States to be used toward the facility.

Asian commodities trading group, the Noble Group, announced December 20 that it has acquired Cerradnho Acuar and Etanol eEnergia S.A., two Brazilian sugar cane/ethanol mills.

Thailand’s Energy Ministry has noted that the government’s plans to replace B3 with B5 early in 2011 may be delayed because of a local shortage of palm oil, the Bangkok Post reported December 18.

Australian biodiesel producer Mission NewEnergy Ltd. announced December 15 that it completed its second commercial sale and shipment of jatropha oil to a major European customer, for use as a sustainable fuel.

Canadian biodiesel company Energy Innovation Corp. (EIC) announced December 14 that it plans to open the city of Toronto's first biodiesel manufacturing facility in the port lands.

On behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, on December 15 John Baird, Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, highlighted the Canadian government’s commitment to renewable fuels. Federal regulations requiring 5% renewable fuel content in gasoline went into effect December 15.

On December 14, German biodiesel producer EOP Biodiesel AG filed an application for insolvency proceedings with the local court of Neuruppin. According to the company, the filing was a result of failed negotiations between the company and banks issuing credit to EOP to extend working capital financing facilities.

The European Commission on December 14 authorized under EU state aid rules a total of €5 million (US$6.59 million) in investment aid for a pipeline to be built that will transport waste carbon dioxide (CO2) from an ethanol plant in Rotterdam to greenhouses in the Zuidplaspolder, the lowest part of Western Europe located in The Netherlands.

The European Commission announced December 14 that it has authorized under EU state aid rules a grant of SEK222 million (US$32.53 million) that will go to Sweden’s Gothenburg Biofuels Gasification (GoBiGas) research and development (R&D) project.

Swedish truck manufacturer Scania announced December 15 that it has received an order for 50 trucks, plus an option for another 100 trucks, from Buchanan Renewables Fuels in Liberia.

Bioenergy crop developer Ceres announced December 20 that the company has appointed William Burnquist as the general manager of its operations in Brazil.

Finnair is planning to test a biojet fuel derived from non-food feedstocks in 2011, likely involving the Neste NExBTL technology that can convert bio-based feedstocks to all-hydrocarbon kero-jet fuel and diesel fuel.

Officials in the municipality of Kristianstad in southern Sweden have declared a wide-ranging energy grid transformation that has already cut by half the use of fossil fuels and reduced the city’s carbon-dioxide emissions by one-quarter in the last 10 years, according to December 14 New York Times report.

Scania announced December 15 that it won an order for 50 fuel transport trucks – and an option on 100 more – from Liberia-based Buchanan Renewables Fuels.

Intertek announced December 15 that it has opened the new Bilbao Technology Centre (BTC) laboratory in Spain. The new facility has more than 2,000 square meters of laboratory space and expands the company’s analytical testing capabilities in traditional fuels and biofuels, including biodiesel, bioethanol, biomass and biogas, according to the company announcement.

LS9, Inc. announced December 21 that it has received US$30 million in its latest round of funding, to be utilized to ready LS9's lead products for commercial production and support additional development and growth programs.

Logos Technologies, Inc. announced December 16 that it has been awarded the second phase of BioJET from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to produce fully compatible jet fuel from cellulose.

Viral Genetics, Inc. has launched a subsidiary called VG Energy, Inc., which is majority-owned by Viral Genetics and its current shareholders, and was formed to market the company’s biofuel technology.

New Generation Biofuels Holdings, Inc. (NGBF) announced December 10 that it is moving off NASDAQ and will have its shares quoted on the OTCQB marketplace. NGBF further announced December 15 that it has signed a contract with the city of Baltimore to conduct a Phase 2 evaluation program of the company’s proprietary biofuel for use in institutional boilers over a one year period.

TetraVitae Bioscience announced December 17 that it has completed a successful demonstration of its process to produce renewable n-butanol in a corn dry-mill pilot plant.

On December 13, the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against a proposed wood-to-biofuels plant in Michigan’s Eastern Upper Peninsula that “should have been denied an air permit by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment” (MDNRE), according to the group.

Specialty chemicals supplier Cognis noted on December 13 that the ASTM Main Committee D02 passed a ballot that week for the inclusion of the AOCS standard procedure Ck 2-09, the QTA System method, as an approved method within the biodiesel B100 specification D6751, for the properties of methanol content.

A new report from Hart’s Global Biofuels Center released December 20 examined the potential of cassava as a feedstock for ethanol production.

The high-cell-density cultivation of heterotropic algal cells appears to be the most promising economic design for developing biofuels from algae, according to a new study by a Colorado-based business information services firm.

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. announced December 20 that it has renewed the credit facility of its subsidiary, Kinergy Marketing LLC.

The Clean Fuels Foundation announced December 16 that they are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand public awareness on fueling options available to owners of flex-fuel vehicles (FFV).