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Tariff war is a lose-lose proposition: Canada
Tariff war is a lose-lose proposition: Canada
Calgary, 15 January (Argus) — Any retaliation by Canada to tariffs imposed by the US would be designed to apply political pressure, the country's energy minister said today in Washington, DC, but a potential tariff war between the two countries is a lose-lose proposition. "We are not interested in something that escalates," Canada's minister of energy and natural resources Jonathan Wilkinson said in a panel discussion at the Woodrow Wilson Center. But until tariffs are imposed, Canada does not know how it will need to respond. Canada will likely focus on goods that are "important to American producers," but also those for which Canada has an alternative. "The point in the response is to apply political pressure," said Wilkinson, who advocated for stronger trade ties between the two countries byway of energy and critical minerals. US president-elect Donald Trump plans to impose a 25pc tariff on all imports from both Canada and Mexico when he takes office on 20 January. So far he has not signaled any plans to exempt any goods, including oil and gas. Alberta's premier Danielle Smith and now Wilkinson are promoting the flow of more crude to ensure North America's energy security. "We can enhance the flow of Canadian crude oil from Alberta," said Wilkinson by boosting capacity on pipelines like Enbridge's 3.1mn b/d Mainline crude export system. "The US cannot be energy dominant without Canadian energy." The incoming administration would be open to such pipeline expansions, said Heather Reams, president of Washington-based non-profit Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. "It's something that the Trump administration and Republican members in Congress would be interested in revisiting to ensure that there is a steady flow of the energy that's needed to fuel our mutual economies," Reams said on the panel. Enbridge's Mainline moves Canadian crude from Alberta to the US Midcontinent, where Wilkinson expects consumers will be faced with higher gasoline prices — adding as much as 75¢/USG at the pump — should tariffs be imposed. Americans could also see higher food prices if tariffs are put on potash, a fertilizer mined in Saskatchewan and used by US farmers, she said. Development of critical minerals like germanium, gallium and others should be pursued further to minimize the US' exposure and dependence on China, according to Wilkinson, echoing comments made by Ontario premier Doug Ford on 13 January in his own appeal to enhancing trade ties with the US. "We cannot be in a position where China can simply manipulate the market," said Wilkinson, citing that country's dumping of nickel. "We should form a true energy and minerals alliance." By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil's Bndes grants R480mn to ethanol producer
Brazil's Bndes grants R480mn to ethanol producer
Sao Paulo, 14 January (Argus) — Brazil's Bndes development bank approved R480mn ($79mn) for sugar and ethanol producer CMAA to increase biofuel production in the state of Minas Gerais. The bank will grant R220mn from its Climate Fund to raise the private-sector company's anhydrous ethanol output in its Vale do Pontal sugar and ethanol unit, in Limeira do Oeste city, by around 1,470 b/d. The plant will be able to produce up to 3,650 b/d. With new investments, the Vale do Pontal plant will process 4mn metric tonnes (t) of sugarcane/crop, up from 2.7mn t/crop previously, producing hydrous ethanol, raw sugar and electric power for the Brazilian domestic market. The Climate Fund will be also used to double CMAA's power generation to 68MW. The remaining R260mn will be taken from Bndes' services and machinery program to modernize existing equipment and buy new agricultural machines. CMAA's Vale do Pontal, Vale do Tijuco and Canapolis units are expected to use R50mn, R160mn and R50mn, respectively. These resources can be allocated to buy, sell or produce machines, industrial systems or technological and automation goods, as well as hiring national services and machine imports, Bndes said. The company will also be able to increase issuance of Cbio carbon credits, following the rise in ethanol output. By Maria Albuquerque Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
WTO asks EU again to adjust RED II delegated act
WTO asks EU again to adjust RED II delegated act
London, 13 January (Argus) — A World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel found that the EU must amend the delegated act for the 2018 renewable energy directive (RED II) in the multi-year dispute with Indonesia on oil crop-based feedstock restrictions. Indonesia raised the dispute in December 2019 , arguing that RED II violated WTO rules by discriminating against oil crop-based biofuels from Indonesia compared with oil crop-based biofuels from the EU. The dispute centred around the EU classification of palm oil and palm oil-based biodiesel at a high risk of indirect land-use change (Iluc). Malaysia raised a similar case against the EU in January 2021, and the dispute was heard by the same panel as the Indonesian case. The panel found in March that the EU had to amend elements of the RED II delegated act. The WTO upheld that the EU crop cap and high indirect Iluc cap and phase-out requirements under RED II are not violating international obligations. But the WTO also found that the EU has violated agreements by not conducting a timely review of the data used to determine Iluc risk and failing to design the low Iluc-risk criteria to prevent arbitrary discrimination between countries which have the same conditions. The EU also did not comply with notification procedures or organise a commenting process, the panel found. The WTO recommended that the EU bring its measures into conformity with its international treaty obligations. Indonesia also challenged the French palm oil feedstock ban. The WTO also agreed that the French ban violates the general agreement on tariffs and trade by applying internal taxes to imported palm-based biofuels but not to domestic rapeseed and soybean-based biofuels, despite being substitutable products. The EU responded that it intends to take the necessary steps to amend the delegated act for the renewable energy directive to align with WTO rules. The panel report can be appealed for 60 days after publication, when it then should be adopted by the WTO dispute settlement body. The parties then agree on a reasonable time frame for the EU to comply with its obligations. In the EU response, it was unclear what measures may be taken to amend the French system to align with the WTO ruling. By Simone Burgin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil’s inflation decelerates to 4.83pc in December
Brazil’s inflation decelerates to 4.83pc in December
Sao Paulo, 10 January (Argus) — Brazil's headline inflation decelerated to 4.83pc at the end of 2024, as declines in power costs were only partially offset by gains in fuel and food, according to government statistics agency IBGE. The consumer price index (CPI) slowed from 4.87pc in November and compared with 4.76pc in October. The year-end print compared with 4.62pc in December 2023, but was down from 5.79pc in December 2022. Food and beverage costs rose by an annual 7.69pc in December, accounting for much of the monthly increase, following a 7.63pc annual gain in November. Beef costs increased by an annual 20.84pc in December following a 15.43pc annual gain for the prior month. Higher beef costs in the domestic market are related to the Brazilian's real depreciation to the US dollar, with the Brazilian real depreciating by 27.4pc to the US dollar between 31 December 2023 and the same date in 2024 . Still, beef prices decelerated by 5.26pc in December alone, down from 8pc in November. Soybean oil rose by 29.21pc over the year, an increase of 1.64 percentage points from November. Fuel prices rose by an annual 10.09pc in December after an 8.78pc gain in November. Motor fuel costs grew by 0.7pc in December, compared with a 0.15pc drop in the prior month, thanks to higher gasoline prices. Diesel prices increased by 0.66pc in the 12-month period, while it decreased by 2.25pc in November. Gasoline prices — the major individual contributor to the annual high, according to IBGE — rose by 9.71pc in December from 9.12pc in the prior month. Still, that was lower than in December 2023, when the annual inflation for gasoline stood at 11pc. Power costs in December contracted by an annual 0.37pc in December, as improvements in power generation allowed for removal of a surcharge from customer bills, after a gain of 3.46pc the prior month. In November, Brazil faced lower river levels at its hydroelectric plants after a period of severe droughts . Brazil's central bank is targeting CPI of 3pc with a margin of 1.5 percentage point above or below. Brazil's central bank in December raised its target rate to 12.25pc from 11.25pc as the real's depreciation accelerated. It also signaled it is likely to increase the rate to 14.25pc by March. Monthly inflation accelerated to 0.52pc in December from 0.39pc in November. But the rate was lower than in December 2023, when it stood at 0.56pc. By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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