News
24/08/26
EU undenatured ethanol imports up sharply in June
London, 24 August (Argus) — As EU nations entered the summer driving season in
June, the bloc's imports of undenatured ethanol were more than double that of
June 2025 and 28pc higher from May, according to EU customs data accessed via
Global Trade Tracker (GTT). Guatemala climbed to become the EU's largest
supplier of ethanol in June, with Guatemalan-origin imports rising by more than
125 times on the month. Costa Rica became the bloc's third largest supplier,
with EU imports from the country increasing by more than 2.5 times on the month,
to 14,975t (see table) . A market participant said imports from Costa Rica may
be for industrial use. According to Kpler data, three cargoes carrying 20,765t
of Guatemalan ethanol and 17,041t of Costa Rican ethanol discharged in the EU in
7-28 June, with 15,821t of Guatemalan material and 10,633t of the Costa Rican
product being classified specifically as fuel ethanol. The 14pc drop in US
ethanol imports on the month coincided with a drop in the US ethanol production
rate in June , as shown by data from the Energy Information Administration
(EIA). The Netherlands held its position as the EU's largest importer, and
France remained in second place even as its imports fell by 42pc from May to
June. France saw an increase in demand for E85 in April and in May . French
gasoline prices were over €2/litre in May, pushing even higher in rural areas,
while E85 was around €0.83/l. By Toby Shay EU ethanol imports from outside the
bloc t June 26 May 26 ±% mth/mth June 25 ±% yr/yr YTD YTD 2025 ±% YTD Imports by
origin Guatemala 33,947 270 12,455 99 34,336 77,560 71,611 8 US 17,082 19,906
-14 5,158 231 114,541 69,257 65 Costa Rica 14,975 5,548 170 n/a n/a 20,524
13,825 48 Other origins 59,378 72,582 -18 55,539 7 353,923 376,428 -6 Imports by
destination Netherlands 84,757 50,163 69 16,234 422 357,855 260,640 37 France
8,544 14,714 -42 13,342 -36 46,873 54,859 -15 Italy 8,469 6,822 24 11,040 -23
27,560 47,224 -42 Other destinations 23,612 26,607 -11 20,180 17 134,259 168,398
-20 Total 125,382 98,307 28 60,796 106 566,547 531,121 7 — GTT Send comments and
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