Foreword
The UK bioeconomy is still reeling from the closure of
the Vivergo biofuels plant, as reported in these pages last month. Vivergo were
one of the cornerstones of the UK bioeconomy, but their loss painted a wider, grimmer
picture of the state of the UK biofuels industry. The chief reason cited by Vivergo
for their closure was a bioethanol market that was not sustainable: the price
of ethanol was far too low to justify the cost of production. This effect has
been compounded this month with the closure of another plant: CropEnergies’
Ensus plant in Teesside has “paused” production, awaiting friendlier market
conditions. This mirrors Vivergo’s initial decision to do the same, but the
plant did not last long after reopening. While this doesn’t quite amount to a
crisis for the bioethanol sector, it does highlight how much investment and
support is still needed to......
Other news this month includes:
Policy
- UK transport emissions strategy criticised
- Estimated timeline for introduction of year-round US E15
- Differing stances on airline carbon regulation
Markets
- Biofuels Barometer shows increase in EU biofuel use
- Second UK ethanol plant to pause production
Bioethanol
- Ethanol squeeze prompts US plant closures
- White Paper argues case for US corn ethanol
- Clariant begins construction of Romanian ethanol plant
- Ace Ethanol begins plant construction
- Expansion for POET bioethanol refining plant
Biodiesel
- Red Rock biofuels licenses Fischer-Tropsch technology
- Biodiesel from coffee waste
Aviation Biofuel
- Norway to mandate aviation biofuel from 2020
- First commercial flight with LanzaTech's biobased jet fuel
Other Biofuels
- Low biofuels uptake threatens shipping carbon targets
- First UK recycling group to use biogas-fuelled lorries
Price Information
Events