Brazil May Reduce Level of Ethanol Blends
With a shortfall of sugarcane due to excessive rain, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes announced that they are considering reducing the amount of mandatory ethanol blended with gasoline. Today, all stations are required to sell gasoline mixed with a minimum of 20-25 percent ethanol. If enacted, the change could take effect as soon as this week but Stephanes has not …
Ethanol Group Critical of Biofuels Policy Paper
The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is calling the new policy paper by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy released this week a continuation of “the orchestrated campaign to limit, and ultimately eliminate, the use of biofuels to displace foreign oil.” The report, which was funded by Chevron Technology Ventures, concludes that “the current U.S. biofuels program that promotes corn-based …
Report: Enough Corn, Soybeans for Ethanol, Biodiesel
A new report indicates there will be enough corn and soybeans for ethanol and biodiesel production, as well as the feed, food and export uses those crops are tasked with. But the evaluation from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center‘s Robert Wisner, Professor of Economics and Energy Economist, says things could get tight if next year’s crop is hit with bad …
Keynote Speaker Announced for Ethanol Conference
The keynote speaker for next month’s 15th Annual National Ethanol Conference will address the issue of using mid-level ethanol blends from the automobile industry perspective. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced that Thomas G. Stephens, General Motors Vice President for Global Product Operations, will keynote the conference in Orlando on February 15-17. “The importance of a cooperative and constructive …
Cellulosic Ethanol Demo Plant to Open in TN
DuPont Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol (DDCE) and University of Tennessee/Genera Energy will hold a grand opening celebration later this month for one of the nation’s first cellulosic ethanol demo plants, located in Vonore, Tenn. Among the featured speakers at the grand opening on January 29 will be Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, who helped with the groundbreaking for the plant in October …
Record Ethanol Production in October
According to the latest figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. ethanol production hit a record high in October 2009 of 740,000 barrels per day, up 93,000 barrels from October 2008. Ethanol demand also reached an all time high in October, according to the Renewable Fuels Association. The organization calculates that demand totaled 767,000 barrels per day in October, …
Bunge to Expand Sugar Business in Brazil
There has been quite a bit of activity in Brazil during the last few months of 2009 and it looks like it will continue. Bunge Limited announced today that it will become the 100 percent owner of Usina Moema Participacoes S.A. Moema Par is a holding company that owns one sugarcane mill and has ownership in five others. Together the …