Argus Generation Fuels Asia Conference

08:00 - 09:00

Morning registration and networking

Start the day with informal introductions and early conversations before the programme begins.

09:00 - 09:10

Chairperson’s opening remarks

09:10 - 09:30

Opening keynote: Asia’s future power mix

• How should coal, biomass and gas be balanced to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable power?
• Where should industry place its next investment bets?

09:30 - 10:10

NEW: Coal, biomass and multi-fuel procurement — end-user perspectives

• How should fuel buyers adapt procurement and risk management strategies in an increasingly complex fuel market?
• What role should coal, biomass and other fuels play in long-term fuel sourcing strategies?
• What lessons from coal procurement can accelerate biomass market development?
• How should buyers evaluate fuel substitution trade-offs across cost, reliability and supply security?
• How are Indonesian coal production cuts and tighter export controls reshaping fuel procurement strategies across Asia?

10:10 - 10:40

Networking coffee break

Deep-Dive Market Intelligence from Argus (20 minutes each)

10:40 - 11:00

Argus Biomass Outlook: Wood Pellets, PKS and EFB market priorities for buyers and suppliers

• Which biomass feedstocks offer the strongest growth potential across wood pellets, PKS and EFB markets?
• What key price signals should buyers be watching for when evaluating procurement opportunities?
• How will export availability from Indonesia and Malaysia influence supply, demand and market balances?
• Japan, South Korea and southeast Asia: Which markets are driving the strongest demand?

Speaker Include:

Nadhir Mokhtar

Associate Editor, Genfuels

Argus

11:00 - 11:20

NEW: Argus Thermal Coal Outlook: Strategic choices for Asian buyers

• Which Asian markets are expected to drive demand?
• What do current price signals indicate about procurement timing and sourcing strategies?
• How should procurement strategies evolve as coal competes with LNG and alternative fuels?

Speaker Include:

Saurabh Chaturvedi

Editor, Coal, Genfuels

Argus

11:20 - 12:00

Business Matching

Maximise your networking opportunities with dedicated pre-event and onsite support to identify priority contacts, secure introductions, and build valuable business connections.

12:00 - 13:15

Networking lunch

13:15 - 13:50

Biomass pellet market: Strategic priorities for buyers and suppliers

• Where are the strongest opportunities across white pellets, black pellets and emerging markets?
• How are changing pricing dynamics, freight costs and certification requirements reshaping procurement decisions?
• What investments in quality, storage and handling are needed to meet buyer expectations and secure long-term demand?

13:50 - 14:30

Agribiomass opportunities: Where should industry focus next?

• Which agricultural residues offer the strongest potential to become scalable, bankable fuel streams?
• Where can agribiomass deliver the greatest value across power generation, industrial heat, pellets, biochar and co-firing applications?
• What investments and partnerships are needed to overcome feedstock, logistics, quality and certification challenges?

Round-the-World Spotlights

14:30 - 15:15

Regional Spotlight: China — How will China shape Asia’s biomass supply

• How will rising domestic biomass demand and co-firing ambitions affect China's role in regional biomass markets?
• Will China remain an exporter of biomass products, or compete for feedstock supply in Asia?
• What would a more import-driven China mean for regional pricing, supply availability and competition?

 

Regional Spotlight: Southeast Asia — Which markets will drive the next wave of biomass demand?

• How quickly could biomass demand grow in emerging southeast Asian markets?
• Which feedstocks are best positioned to compete on cost, availability and policy support?
• What do suppliers need to know about buyer requirements, offtake risk and developing demand in newer markets?

NEW: Regional Spotlight: Europe — What does European demand mean for Asian biomass markets?

• Which Asian biomass products are attracting the strongest demand from European buyers?
• How are sustainability, certification and traceability requirements influencing sourcing decisions?
• What impact could European demand have on Asian pricing, supply availability and feedstock competition?
• How can Asian suppliers and traders overcome logistics, certification and documentation challenges to access growing European demand?

15:15 - 15:50

Networking coffee break

Policy, regulation and market direction

15:50 - 16:30

Regulatory outlook: How will policy shape Asia's biomass markets?

• How are biomass policies in Japan, South Korea and China influencing demand and project development?
• Which southeast Asian policies are creating new opportunities for biomass and waste-to-energy projects?
• What do changing certification, sustainability and subsidy frameworks mean for sourcing and investment decisions?

16:30 - 17:00

NEW: Regulatory outlook: What do policy changes mean for coal buyers and suppliers?

• How are emissions policies, coal transition plans and energy security priorities shaping demand across Asia?
• Case sudy: What impact are India's biomass co-firing and coal blending mandates having on fuel demand, procurement behaviour and regional trade flows?
• What do changing import rules, domestic supply policies and power market reforms mean for regional trade flows?
• How have recent geopolitical disruptions heightened the focus on energy security, and what does this mean for coal procurement decisions across Asia?

17:00 - 17:05

Chairperson's closing remarks and key conclusions

 

 

 

17:05 - 18:30

Networking drinks reception

End day one with relaxed networking, reconnecting with contacts and meeting new partners across the generation fuels value chain.

08:30 - 09:00

Morning networking

Reconnect with delegates before the second day and set up follow-up conversations from day one.

09:00 - 09:40

End-user perspectives: How are Industrial buyers using biomass to meet energy and decarbonisation goals?

• Where does biomass make the most commercial sense across industrial heat, power generation and process energy?
• What do industrial buyers need from suppliers on cost, supply reliability, quality and sustainability credentials?
• What lessons can be learned from manufacturers and consumer brands already integrating biomass into their energy and supply chain strategies?

09:40 - 10:10

Certification and quality standards: What do buyers expect from biomass suppliers?

• What certification, traceability and documentation requirements do buyers expect before committing to supply agreements?
• How should suppliers meet increasingly stringent quality standards across biomass products?
• How can suppliers reduce buyer risk through testing, quality assurance and transparent supply chains?

10:10 - 10:40

Networking coffee break

Asia's palm biomass advantage: Solid fuels and beyond

10:40 - 11:10

PKS Markets: How can Asia maximise its palm biomass opportunity?

• How are PKS availability, quality and export capacity evolving across Indonesia and Malaysia?
• Which markets are driving demand growth, and how are trade flows changing across Asia?
• What do pricing, freight costs and buyer requirements mean for future PKS competitiveness?

11:10 - 11:40

Empty fruit bunch development: Can EFB become a mainstream biomass feedstock?

• What progress is being made in EFB collection, processing and densification?
• Where are the strongest opportunities for export markets, domestic demand and higher-value applications?
• How can the industry overcome moisture, logistics and aggregation challenges to achieve scale?

11:40 - 12:10

NEW: Palm residues to biomethane: Is Asia ready to scale the next growth market?

• How are Singapore's biomethane ambitions and Malaysia's methane capture initiatives creating new market opportunities?
• Where are the strongest opportunities for POME-to-biogas, biomethane and bio-LNG projects across Asia?
• What commercial, certification and offtake requirements must projects meet to attract buyers and investment?

12:10 - 12:30

NEW: Seeking investment for biogas projects – what does it take to get financed in Asia?

• What do investors and lenders look for when evaluating projects?
• How can developers improve bankability through technology readiness, feedstock security and long-term offtake agreements?
• Which financing structures and partnerships are helping accelerate project development across Asia?

12:30 - 13:30

Networking lunch

Building the black pellet market in Asia

13:30 - 14:00

Introduction to black pellets: what do coal traders and fuel buyers need to know?

For coal traders, utilities and fuel buyers, black pellets offer a potential pathway into lower-emission solid fuels while leveraging existing coal market expertise and infrastructure.

 

• How closely do black pellets fit existing coal trading, logistics and procurement models?
  
  
• How can traders and buyers leverage existing storage, transport and customer relationships?
  
  
• What commercial risks and opportunities exist around pricing, specifications and market liquidity?

14:00 - 14:20

NEW: Black pellets in practice: Can the fuel deliver at scale?

As interest in black pellets grows, buyers need to understand how the fuel performs in real-world applications and where it can compete with coal.

 

• What advantages do black pellets offer in handling, storage and energy density?
  
  
• Where do they make the most sense for co-firing, industrial heat and fuel switching projects?
  
  
• What technical, quality and certification requirements must be met for deployment at scale?

14:20 - 15:10

Building a black pellet market in Asia: What needs to happen next?

The long-term success of black pellets depends on creating sufficient demand, reliable supply and confidence in market standards.

• Which utilities, traders and industrial users are most likely to drive early adoption?
  
  
• What is needed to scale production, standardise specifications and improve market liquidity?
  
  
• How can pricing frameworks, certification standards and long-term offtake agreements support market growth?

Technology showcase: Which solutions are ready to scale?

15:10 - 15:30

Snapshot 1: Torrefaction and black pellet production

How can black pellets improve the commercial case for biomass?

 

• How does torrefaction improve energy density, storage, handling and transport economics?
  
  
• Where do black pellets offer the strongest opportunities for coal replacement and co-firing?
  
  
• What is needed to scale production and secure long-term buyer demand?

Snapshot 2: Feedstock upgrading and quality management

How can suppliers improve biomass quality and marketability?

 

• Which pre-treatment technologies deliver the greatest improvements in fuel quality and consistency?
  
  
• How can suppliers manage moisture, contamination and variability across PKS, EFB, pellets and agribiomass?
  
  
• What quality standards are buyers increasingly expecting from suppliers?

Snapshot 3: Conversion technologies and emissions management

How can existing assets adapt to changing fuel requirements?

 

• Which technologies are helping utilities and industrial users increase biomass utilisation?
• How can operators improve efficiency, reduce emissions and optimise co-firing performance?
• What investments offer the strongest operational and commercial returns?

15:30 - 16:00

Networking coffee break

Carbon markets, certificates and new revenue opportunities

16:00 - 16:20

Carbon pricing and fuel competitiveness: How will carbon markets shape fuel choices?

As carbon costs rise across Asia, fuel buyers must reassess the economics of coal, biomass and emerging low-carbon fuels.

 

• How will schemes such as Japan's GX-ETS influence fuel procurement and investment decisions?
  
  
• When do carbon costs materially change the competitiveness of coal, biomass and alternative fuels?
  
  
• What do evolving carbon markets, levies and reporting requirements mean for fuel buyers and suppliers?

16:20 - 16:45

Biochar and carbon removal: Where are the commercial opportunities?

As demand grows for carbon removal and low-carbon materials, biochar is creating new revenue opportunities beyond established biomass markets.

 

• Which applications offer the strongest commercial potential — from soil enhancement and fertilisers to steel, cement and industrial materials?
  
  
• How are carbon removal markets, certification frameworks and buyer demand shaping project economics?
  
  
• What is needed to secure offtake, financing and long-term market confidence?

16:45 - 17:00

Renewable power procurement, I-RECs and future demand growth

As utilities, corporates and data centres increase renewable power procurement, certificates and environmental attributes are becoming a key part of energy sourcing strategies.

 

• How are utilities, data centres and corporates using biomass, biogas and renewable power to meet energy and sustainability goals?
  
  
• What role do I-RECs and certificate-backed procurement play in renewable power claims and buyer decision-making?
  
  
• How could certificate pricing, traceability requirements and corporate demand shape future market growth?

17:00 - 17:15

Chairperson's closing remarks and key conclusions

17:15

Conference close