Brazil bunker suppliers ask for ethanol regulation

Market: Biofuels, Oil products
24/09/26

Brazilian bunker suppliers are urging Brazil's hydrocarbons regulator ANP to include ethanol in its upcoming national marine biofuels regulation, arguing that the biofuel was only partially addressed in the initial proposal released for public comment.

The proposed regulation aims to align Brazil's bunker fuel framework with international standards and would allow suppliers to market biodiesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and gas-to-liquids (GTL) products without requiring specific authorization, provided the fuels meet ANP specifications. Ethanol, however, would remain subject to special authorization requirements, a provision that has drawn criticism from both bunker suppliers and ethanol producers.

ANP initially argued that ethanol was not included because the proposal is intended to align domestic regulations with ISO 8217:2024 specifications and standards recognized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The IMO has not yet developed specific guidelines for ethanol bunkering operations.

During a public hearing on Wednesday, the Brazilian bunker association Abrabunker and ethanol producers' association Unica jointly called on ANP to establish a dedicated ethanol standard that would allow suppliers to market the fuel without obtaining special approval. The groups proposed that the specification of ethanol set in Brazil's existing Resolution 907 — aimed at ethanol for road-fuel use — also be accepted for marine fuel use. The proposal covers both anhydrous and hydrous ethanol grades for bunkering operations.

Industry participants argued that including ethanol in the regulation would help stimulate domestic production and logistics infrastructure development ahead of wider global adoption of the fuel in the maritime sector. According to Abrabunker, the measure would position Brazil to capitalize on its large ethanol industry and strengthen its role in the emerging alternative marine fuels market.

Brazil ethanol output has been growing rapidly with the expansion of corn-based production. The country is expected to produce 39.8bn liters (686,959 b/d) of ethanol in 2026, up by 6.4pc from a year earlier, according to energy research firm EPE. The firm sees a 20pc growth to 50bn l by 2035 from 2026 levels.

Brazil currently lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework defining storage requirements and fuel specifications for biodiesel, HVO and ethanol sold to vessels. Suppliers must obtain special authorization from ANP to conduct alternative bunker fuel operations. Petrobras and Raizen are the only companies currently authorized to market biodiesel bunker blends containing up to 24pc biodiesel. Ethanol authorizations have been granted on a case-by-case basis for testing purposes. Bunker One received approval earlier this year to conduct a 100pc ethanol bunkering trial in Brazil.

By Gabriel Tassi Lara and Maria Lígia Barros

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25/09/26

SAF needs nuanced crop feedstocks policy: Panel

London, 25 September (Argus) — Fuel producers and crop suppliers increasingly support the careful use of intermediate crops for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), aiming to ease feedstock shortage concerns, attendees heard at the SAF Global Summit in London this week. Policymakers are wary of increasing use of crops in biofuels because of food scarcity and previous deforestation scandals. But delegates said Europe urgently needs more feedstocks to curb costs, and that nuanced policy can address these concerns. Farmers grow intermediates crops between rotations to regenerate soil. German life sciences firm Bayer said they could grow oilseeds like camelina, winter canola or pennycress. Farmers already monitor vast field-level data that could enable certification, Bayer's biofuels lead Peter Muller said. Current policy oversimplifies the issue, favouring binary choices of "crop bad, used cooking oil (UCO) good, electricity good", said BP's vice president of regulatory affairs, bioenergy, Eirik Pitkethly. "There's a whole layer of nuance we need to get into," he said. Using a fraction of intermediate crops that EU farmers already grow and do not harvest could yield 2.5mn t of SAF, enough to meet the EU's 2030 SAF mandate, Pitkethly said. "The scale is massive," he said. "It's too good to ignore. But it's difficult and there are challenges in getting the rules right." Lax regulations in the early days of the biofuels industry led to "deforestation in carbon-sensitive environments" and created "more emissions than using fossil fuels," which still makes policymakers hesitant, Pitkethly said. Pragmatic policy would find a "sweet spot", avoiding overburdening farmers while setting enough protections, such as requiring multi-year data to prove no land use change. Policymakers could block carbon-sensitive geographies from supplying feedstock if necessary, he said. The EU appears closer than the UK to opening the door to intermediate crops, Pitkethly said. Cover crops are allowed under EU rules, but details are lacking on which crops qualify and what evidence producers must provide on sustainability. Pitkethly said none of the European Commission's several drafts have provided the clarity needed. Other panellists said companies should be allowed to grow crops for SAF in desert regions, where there would be no competition with food. Egypt could make SAF with its non-edible desert crop jojoba, said grower Saraya's chief operations officer, Middle East, Omar El Mougy. Keeping costs down Narrowing the feedstock pool for hydrotreated esters and fatty acids (HEFA), the most established and cheapest route for making SAF, forces aviation to rely on larger amounts of more expensive SAF types instead, Pitkethly said. Replacing fossil jet fuel with SAF may need in the region of 400mn t/yr of SAF, but using only waste oils may reach a ceiling of 40mn t/yr because of global constraints on the main UCO feedstock, he said. The shortfall could be filled with novel SAF types like alcohol-to-jet or synthetic SAF from electrolytic hydrogen and carbon (e-SAF). These are more costly than HEFA, and it would be far more economical to maximise the HEFA feedstock pool as far as possible first, Pitkethly said. By Aidan Lea Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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US warns vessels over Houthi Red Sea threat

25/09/26

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25/09/26

US warns vessels over Houthi Red Sea threat

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Mexico exposed to potential US diesel export ban

24/09/26

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24/09/26

Mexico exposed to potential US diesel export ban

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Switzerland authorises Senegal Article 6 carbon project

24/09/26

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24/09/26

Switzerland authorises Senegal Article 6 carbon project

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Europe well supplied with naphtha heading into 4Q

24/09/26

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24/09/26

Europe well supplied with naphtha heading into 4Q

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