Etanol hidratado impulsiona início da safra 2024-25
A produção de etanol no Centro-Sul aumentou 7,2pc na primeira quinzena de abril em relação ao ano passado, com produtores ainda favorecendo o hidratado em meio à demanda crescente.
As usinas da região entregaram 841.000m³ ao mercado na primeira quinzena da safra de 2024-25, em comparação com 784.000m³ no mesmo período do ano anterior, segundo os dados mais recentes da União da Indústria de Cana-de-Açúcar e Bioenergia (Unica).
A produção de etanol hidratado subiu 39pc e impulsionou a alta anual, totalizando 693.000m³. Já o processamento de anidro, utilizado como mistura na gasolina, caiu 48pc, para 174.000m³.
As usinas permanecem destinando mais matéria-prima para o E100, em um cenário de paridade favorável para o biocombustível frente à gasolina na bomba. O hidratado está mais vantajoso para os motoristas em 80pc do mercado de combustíveis leves, disse a Unica.
As plantas do Centro-Sul venderam 1,3 milhão de m³ de etanol para o mercado doméstico em abril, salto de 41pc na variação anual. As vendas de hidratado representaram 902.355m³ deste total, alta de 61pc, enquanto as de anidro subiram 14pc, para 448.431m³. Já as exportações totalizaram 52.104m³, queda de 6,2pc.
O mix de produção na quinzena foi de 56,4pc para o etanol e 43,6pc para o açúcar, em comparação com 62pc para o biocombustível no mesmo intervalo em 2023.
No período, a moagem de cana-de-açúcar avançou 14pc, para 15,8 milhões de t, à medida que a temporada inicia suas operações.
Até 16 de abril, 171 usinas estavam operando no ciclo de 2024-25, número maior do que as 166 no mesmo intervalo do ano anterior. A Unica espera que mais 54 unidades recomecem as atividades durante a segunda metade do mês.
O etanol à base de milho representou 32pc do volume total produzido na primeira parte de abril, somando 270.500m³, crescimento de 12pc na comparação anual.
Related news posts
Falling D4 RIN values alter RD strategy
Falling D4 RIN values alter RD strategy
Houston, 14 May (Argus) — Soaring US renewable diesel production is cutting renewable fuel credit prices and pressuring biofuel production margins, potentially curbing industry growth. Renewable diesel (RD) production in North America last year jumped by 36pc to a record 3.45bn USG, and output this year is expected to climb by another 28pc to 4.43bn USG, according to Argus estimates. Rising production has cut the value of biomass-based diesel D4 credits, or renewable identification numbers (RINs), by 75pc over the past year, as credit generation from renewable diesel production has outpaced the the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) biofuel blending targets. D4 RINs credits reflect compliance costs of biofuel that has been blended with diesel, used by fuel suppliers in accordance with the EPA's annual Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) mandates. They also act as an incentive for renewable fuel production, as producers can sell RINs once their biofuels are blended with conventional road fuels. Lower prices on D4 RINs generate less revenue for the biofuels industry and also reduce compliance costs for obligated parties. Some refiners have shifted their strategic focus to compensate for lower RIN values, with some cutting back on renewable fuels production. Vertex Energy plans to idle renewable diesel production at its Mobile, Alabama, facility as the company anticipates generating wider margins by returning a converted hydrocracker back to fossil fuel production. Vertex remains open to restarting its renewable diesel production if market conditions improve. CVR Energy is considering changing feedstocks to improve its renewable diesel margins, possibly substituting corn oil for soybean oil. Chevron has shared similar sentiments, saying feedstock flexibility can be a major advantage across its operations. The company recently closed two biodiesel facilities in the US midcontinent as attention shifts to more profitable renewable diesel in the long term. Valero is nearly finished converting its renewable diesel unit to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Diamond Green Diesel joint venture facility in Port Arthur, Texas. The venture with Darling Ingredients is the largest producer of renewable diesel in North America and a major contributor to the increase in supply over the past two years. Valero views the D4 RIN market as in persistent oversupply due to the growth of renewable diesel, but the company remains optimistic due to other clean fuels incentives, including state-level low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) programs that provide incentives for reducing the carbon intensity of transportation fuels. "The long-term outlook of RD is still positive, because you look at the number of LCFS programs that are still being contemplated by legislation this year," Valero executive vice president Gary Simmons said. More renewable diesel capacity is expected to come online by the end of this year. Marathon Petroleum's Martinez, California, refinery is undergoing a full conversion from conventional petroleum refining to renewable fuels and is currently running at 50pc of capacity. Phillips 66 has taken a similar approach with the conversion of their Rodeo, California, plant, with 30,000 b/d of renewable diesel online. With EPA biofuel blending targets fixed through 2025, an aggregate decrease in renewable diesel production and subsequent lower generation of D4 RINs could counter the weakened RIN prices that are contributing to the industry's depressed production margins. By Matthew Cope Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US court upholds RFS blending targets for 2020-22
US court upholds RFS blending targets for 2020-22
Washington, 14 May (Argus) — A federal appeals court has affirmed biofuel blending requirements for 2020-22 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), rejecting lawsuits from refineries and renewable fuel producers challenging the standards. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted within its authority in the rule when it revised the biofuel blending targets to account for small refinery exemptions it expected it would award in the future, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said today in a 2-1 ruling. The court rejected a complaint by refineries that argued EPA could only revise the annual biofuel blending targets based on exemptions it had already approved in the past. "The statute does not confine EPA to the Refiner Petitioners' preferred method of accounting for small refinery exemptions," DC Circuit judge Cornelia Pillard wrote on behalf of the majority. "EPA's choice to account for them both retrospectively and prospectively is not arbitrary or capricious." The ruling leaves intact a 2022 rule that required renewable fuel blending to increase to 20.63bn USG by 2022, up from 17.13bn USG in 2020. For the first time under the RFS, the rule used a new formula that tried to avoid a recurrent issue under which EPA failed to account for upcoming requests from small refineries for exemptions from the RFS. EPA has subsequently decided to start denying all small refinery exemptions, under a new argument that small refiners do not face a disproportionate hardship from complying with the RFS. But if the courts throw out that finding in a pending lawsuit , the formula at issue in today's court ruling could take on a greater relevance for how EPA accounts for small refinery exemptions when setting biofuel blending targets. The DC Circuit rejected a separate lawsuit by cellulosic ethanol producers that said EPA should have required increased blending of cellulosic ethanol, based in part on the availability of carryover compliance credits. The court found EPA had adequate authority to waive volumetric targets set by the US Congress in 2007 based on its finding there were inadequate domestic supplies of the fuel, which is produced from plant fibers. Judge Gregory Katsas, who dissented from the ruling, said he believed the biofuel blending requirements for 2022 were set "arbitrarily high." Katsas cited EPA's finding that those standards would impose an estimated $5.7bn in additional costs for fuel but only deliver $160mn in energy security benefits. Katsas also faulted EPA for increasing the biofuel blending targets by 250mn USG in 2022 to "cancel out a legal error" from biofuel blending targets in 2016. Katsas said there was no authority to transfer volume requirements from one year to another. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
HVO-Zulassung steht bevor
HVO-Zulassung steht bevor
Hamburg, 14 May (Argus) — Die Zulassung von HVO zum freien Verkauf an deutschen Tankstellen steht laut dem BMUV kurz bevor. Die Zahl der Tankstellen, an denen HVO bereits erhältlich ist, wächst. Eine Sprecherin des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt- und Verbraucherschutz (BMUV) bestätigte gegenüber Argus , dass die Zulassung von HVO durch die Veröffentlichung der Novelle der 10. Verordnung zur Durchführung des Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetzes (10. BImSchV) bevorsteht. Die Novelle liegt dem Bundespräsidialamt zur Überprüfung vor, so eine Sprecherin des Amtes. Dies ist der letzte Schritt vor der Veröffentlichung im Bundesgesetzblatt. Unklar ist jedoch, ob sich die Veröffentlichung dadurch verzögern könnte, dass die Novelle des Saubere-Fahrzeuge-Beschaffungs-Gesetz zuerst veröffentlicht werden muss, was bisher noch nicht geschehen ist. Marktteilnehmer bereiten derweilen ihre Tankstelleninfrastruktur auf die Zulassung vor. Der Verein eFuelsNow e.V. verzeichnet etwa 150 Tankstellen in Deutschland, die schon HVO100 anbieten. In 2023 gab es in Deutschland laut Daten des Branchenverbands en2x etwa 14.500 Tankstellen, womit knapp 1 % aller Tankstellen bereits HVO führen. Die Tendenz ist dabei steigend; mehrere Anbieter haben bereits zusätzliche Standorte angekündigt. Der Großteil dieser Tankstellen befindet sich in Hessen, Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Nordrhein-Westfalen und Niedersachsen. Einige Anbieter sind mittlerweile dazu übergegangen, HVO bereits vor der offiziellen Zulassung frei zu verkaufen, während andere Anbieter HVO weiterhin nur in geschlossenen Kundenkreisen über Clubs mit Zugangskarte verkaufen. Von Max Steinhau Senden Sie Kommentare und fordern Sie weitere Informationen an feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Brazil ups 2023-24 crop forecast to 295.4mn t
Brazil ups 2023-24 crop forecast to 295.4mn t
Sao Paulo, 14 May (Argus) — Brazil's national supply company Conab increased its outlook for the 2023-24 grain and oilseed crops for the first time since the initial outlook in November, amid upward revisions in expected area for the season. Conab now expects 2023-24 output at 295.4mn metric tonnes (t), up from 294.1mn t a month ago. That is 7.6pc — or 24.4mn t — lower than the previous cycle's record of 319.8mn t because of the negative effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon over main producing states. The cycle is projected to yield 3,734 kg/hectare (ha), 8.3pc below the 4,072 kg/ha in 2022-23. That also compares with the 3,744 kg/ha forecast a month ago. Estimated sowed area expanded 590,100ha to 79.1mn ha this month, which is 578,000ha down from the prior season's acreage. Soybean output rises Brazil's 2023-24 soybean crop is now set to reach 147.7mn t, up by 1.2mn t from the 146.5mn t a month ago. That is a 4.5pc drop from the 2022-23 crop's record of 154.6mn t, but is still the second largest crop in the country's history. The monthly output increase follows a higher sowed area projection of 45.7mn ha, compared with 45.2mn ha in April. That is also a 3.8pc rise on the year. The expansion more than offset the downward revision in the outlook of Rio Grande do Sul state, which was recently hit by an unprecedented flood . But Conab said that further cuts may come in the following months, when farmers begin to count losses. Conab predicts average yields to total 3,229 kg/ha, down from 3,239 kg/ha estimated a month prior and 3,507 kg/ha in the prior cycle. Corn crop also up Conab expects Brazil to produce over 111.6mn t of corn in 2023-24, including the country's first, second and third crops. That is above the previous estimate of nearly 111mn t, but down by 15.4pc — or 20.3mn t — from 2022-23 record volumes. The forecast for the grain's planted area is at 20.6mn ha, approximately 236,100ha above the prior month's estimate. This represents a 7.4pc drop from the 22.3mn ha sowed in the prior cycle. Projected yields are at 5,414 kg/ha, down from March's estimate of 5,444 kg/ha and 8.6pc below the previous crop. Winter corn — also known as the second corn crop —accounted for most of the increase. The production forecast rose to 86.2mn t from 85.6mn t, below the 2022-23 crop's 102.4mn t record. Expected yields fell to 5,388 kg/ha from 5,427 kg/ha a month ago. That is also 9.5pc below the prior cycle's yields. Meanwhile, expected acreage was revised up from the prior month by 214,000ha to almost 16mn ha. The 2022-23 second corn crop was sowed in 17.2mn ha. The summer corn cycle — also known as the first crop — is set to reach 23.4mn t, up by 133,800t from a month prior. The estimate for acreage rose by around 22,100ha to approximately 4mn ha, while yields remain projected at 5,879 kg/ha. Brazil's 2022-23 first corn crop produced 27.4mn t, yielding 6,160 kg/ha in a sowed area of over 4.4mn ha. Wheat down, cotton lint up Conab now expects Brazil's 2024 wheat production to total 9.1mn t, down by 647,300t from a month earlier. The decrease follows a 223,000ha drop in the sowed area projection to 3.1mn ha. That is 11pc below the prior season. Estimated yields remained roughly stable in May at 2,942 kg/ha, up by 26pc from a year earlier. Brazil's 2023 wheat output totaled approximately 8.1mn t, with heavy rainfall volumes in the south dropping yields to 2,331 kg/ha and acreage reaching almost 3.5mn ha. The forecast for 2023-24 cotton lint production rose by 43,500t to 3.6mn t, which is 470,200t — or 14.8pc — above the prior season's output. That reflects favorable weather in Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais states. The yearly increase is driven by a higher expected acreage of 1.9mn ha, almost 17pc above the 2022-23 season and roughly stable from a month ago. Yields rose to 1,876 kg/ha from 1,860 kg/ha in April, which is 1.6pc below the prior season. Soybean exports slightly up Conab expects 2023-24 soybean exports to total 92.5mn t, up by 200,000ha from last month's projection driven by a higher expected production this month. That compares with almost 101.9mn t of soybeans exported in the 2022-23 season. Corn exports remains set to reach 31mn t, flat from April but a drop from the 54.6mn t shipped in the prior cycle. By Nathalia Giannetti Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more