Latest news with #ethanol
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Ethanol Maker in Last-Ditch Effort to Save Plant on US Threat
A UK ethanol producer that has warned of the risk to its business from rising tariff-free US imports said it is almost too late to save its output. The facility at Wilton, England faces 'imminent closure' following last month's trade agreement with the US, operator Ensus said in a statement. A production halt would eliminate more than 100 jobs at the plant and affect a supply chain of about 3,000 people locally.
Times of Oman
7 days ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
India's biofuel sector transitioning from promise to partial implementation: Report
New Delhi: India's biofuel sector is slowly moving from a stage of promise to partial implementation, supported by strong government policies, rising need for decarbonization, and the push for rural value creation, according to a report by YES Securities. The report highlighted that while government support through initiatives like SAMARTH (for biomass), E20 (for ethanol), and SATAT (for compressed biogas or CBG) remains strong, the actual progress in building the required infrastructure is uneven across different segments. It said "India's biofuel sector is transitioning from promise to partial implementation, driven by policy tailwinds". Among all segments, ethanol blending has shown significant progress, with around 18 per cent blending achieved. This has also resulted in a visible return on capital employed (RoCE) for producers. Solid biofuels are also gaining ground in industries as substitutes for coal and furnace oil. This shift is being driven by better economics and pressure to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. However, the report noted that the CBG segment still faces several challenges. These include problems with feedstock logistics, underutilised production capacity, and the lack of infrastructure needed to monetise by-products, which are crucial for making CBG plants financially viable. The report added that investors should now focus on segments that are showing operational progress, have clear offtake guarantees linked to policy, and show a realistic path to scale. In terms of policy and mechanism support, the report explained the role of co-firing, which involves blending solid biofuels with coal in power plants. According to a Ministry of Power (MoP) order issued in 2021, all thermal power plants with a capacity of more than 200 MW are required to blend 5 per cent biomass starting from FY22. In regions prone to high stubble burning like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, the limit has been increased to 7 per cent. This effort is being driven under the SAMARTH Mission, a government initiative to promote sustainable fuel use. India's coal-fired power capacity stands at about 210 GW. Even a 5 per cent blend would require around 10.5 GW of power to be generated from biofuels. This would translate to the use of 15-20 million metric tonnes (mmt) of biomass every year, creating a potential market of over Rs 500 billion. Public sector power utility NTPC has emerged as a leader in the co-firing space. As of early calendar year 2025, it has already co-fired more than 2.5 lakh tonnes of biomass across its units in Dadri, Jhajjar, and others. Some of these units have achieved 7-10 per cent biomass blending. Despite the policy push, the report pointed out several bottlenecks. These include variation in the calorific value and combustion characteristics of biomass, difficulties in logistics and storage due to the perishable nature of biomass, and the need for plant-specific burner modifications to enable efficient co-firing. The report concluded that while the biofuel sector holds significant promise, actual implementation will depend on overcoming these practical challenges and ensuring consistent progress across all segments.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- CBS News
Cleanup continues in downtown Waxahachie after freight train derailment involving ethanol tankers
A freight train derailment in Waxahachie is continuing to disrupt activity in part of the city's downtown. Train derails late Monday CBS News Texas A Union Pacific freight train with 110 cars derailed around 11:30 p.m. Monday, shutting down roads from Peters Street to Gibson Street, according to the city of Waxahachie. No injuries were reported. It's not clear why 16 cars came off the tracks, with 14 of those overturning on their sides. "We've had some smaller derailments that are usually just one or two cars and that can be quickly cleaned up and taken care of, but nothing to this extent," said Waxahachie City Manager Michael Scott. Tankers carried ethanol According to Scott, several of the overturned tankers were carrying ethanol, a highly flammable liquid. Hazardous materials specialists were on scene Tuesday. "As much as there's ethanol in these tankers, there's been no leaks detected," Scott said. "And so it's a safe scene." Even though there is no current threat to public safety, the city urges caution for anyone traveling near the impacted area. Businesses affected by closures Several of the businesses closest to the site will likely be closed until the cleanup is done. "It's a good thing that did happen late at night instead of during the day because it's pretty busy in downtown Waxahachie," said Tracey Richardson, the owner of Tru Love Salon in downtown Waxahachie. The salon isn't far from where the incident happened, but the biggest impact Richardson has seen is the traffic. There are multiple road closures surrounding the tracks. "Backed-up clients are running a little behind, and we're all trying to just work with them on that," she said. "Everything's about a 15-minute delay because they're all getting stuck at the traffic." Community seeks answers As other surrounding businesses wait for all the damage to be cleaned up, they wait for answers, too. "I've never seen anything like this," said Ivan Diaz de Leon, who owns Ellis County Epoxy. "Was it a railroad issue? Was it a weather issue? It's just, it's weird. Never seen this before." Union Pacific doesn't have an estimate as to when the cleanup will be done. When the derailed train cars are all removed, the roads will need to be assessed to ensure they are safe to drive on. Cleanup could take days The entire process could take days. In the meantime, the city is encouraging people to steer clear of the area to allow crews to work quickly and safely.
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Sugar Extends Gains as a Recent Price Dip Draws in Buyers
Raw sugar climbed for a second day on optimism that recent declines would draw in buyers and stronger crude prices may prompt mills to divert more cane to make ethanol. The most-active contract rose as much as 0.9% to 16.82 cents per pound, the highest level since June 4. Higher fuel costs can increase demand for ethanol, which is also made from sugar cane in countries like Brazil and India.
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US ethanol output eases off record pace as summer travels heat up: Braun
NAPERVILLE, Illinois, May 30 (Reuters) - Record volumes of U.S. ethanol have been churned out since late last year, largely due to an uptick in exports and steady domestic demand. But output has slipped from those record levels over the last couple of weeks, coinciding with the ramp-up of the summer driving season. Luckily, large stockpiles of the corn-based fuel additive can offset some of the easing in output for now. However, both exports and domestic travel trends will need to be monitored in the coming weeks and months since this is when U.S. motor gasoline demand typically peaks. Over the four weeks ended May 23, U.S. ethanol production averaged roughly 1.026 million barrels per day. That is the best for the period in six years but behind the levels of six and seven years ago. Ethanol production typically dips at this time of year and output had been running at record rates from late last year through early spring, causing supplies to approach the 2020 records in March. U.S. ethanol stocks have since experienced a seasonal drawdown but remain at record levels for the date, with strong rates of both production and use somewhat offsetting each other. Huge exports have contributed to the elevated use levels in recent months. On the other hand, implied U.S. motor gasoline demand has not necessarily been impressive. Over the last couple of months, rates have been similar to the year-ago levels but well off the volumes before the pandemic, which was when demand for U.S. gasoline is thought is thought to have peaked. Increased fuel efficiency and post-pandemic changes in driving patterns – particularly remote working – have reduced U.S. gasoline consumption, an inherent threat to the U.S. ethanol industry. But the push for cleaner fuels abroad has been a bright spot. Although exports accounted for just 11% of U.S. ethanol produced in the 2023-24 marketing year, shipments reached record levels, supported by Canadian, British and Indian demand. Although exports have been the cornerstone of the U.S. ethanol industry this year, they have largely slowed below the year-ago levels in the last month or so, hitting an eight-week low last week. Exporters do have a cushion, as September-March shipments were easily a record for the period, up 26% on the year. However, this recent easing in ethanol exports could potentially be offset by a bump in U.S. gasoline demand this summer. As of April 2025, some 53% of Americans planned to take leisure vacations this summer versus 48% a year earlier, according to Deloitte's annual travel survey. This is despite a decline in their sense of financial well-being over the last year. The more frugal approach means that Americans plan to increasingly favor driving trips versus the previous few summers, including a higher frequency of trips as many are adding multiple short getaways. Gas prices are largely friendly for that effort, with the national average price for unleaded fuel sitting about 11% lower than a year ago. But consumer habits can abruptly shift whenever economic uncertainty spikes, and 2025 has been particularly rife with those risks. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own.
