Brasil Biofuels expands Amazon power generation

  • Market: Biofuels, Electricity, Oil products
  • 21/07/20

Biodiesel and power generation company Brasil Biofuels (BBF) was authorized to begin commercial operations at its 18th biodiesel-fired thermoelectric plant, further reducing the carbon footprint of power generation in the Amazon basin.

The company has been a pioneer in integrating biodiesel production and power generation in a region of the country that is highly dependent on diesel transported in from a long distance.

"It took over a decade to overcome the challenges of investing in the Amazon, but these projects prove that sustainable development in the Amazon is possible," BBF chief executive Milton Steagall tells Argus.

The company is one of only a handful of Brazilian biodiesel producers that uses palm oil as feedstock.

The palm oil used in its plants is produced on company-owned plantations, all of which are located in areas of the Amazon region that are classified as degraded, BBF says.

Because of a 2010 law, palm cannot be planted on areas that were deforested after 2007. Furthermore, because of the 2008 forestry code, properties in the Amazon biome are required to hold 80pc of their total area in reserve.

BBF was one of the winners of last year's generation auction for power purchase agreements in Roraima state, which used to rely on neighboring Venezuela for supply. The company will invest R635mn ($122mn) in two power stations with combined capacity of 74MW. The larger plant, with 56MW of capacity, will be located in the capital of Roraima and will have both biodiesel and solar generation capacity.

The second power plant will be in Sao Joao da Baliza, where the company's biodiesel and 72 t/d palm oil plant are located.

The two power plants will begin operating in early 2021.

According to Steagall, the plants will reduce conventional diesel consumption in the region by 130,000 l/y, once fully operational.

"Not only does this reduce pollution, but it also reduces generation costs," Steagall added.

The company plans to participate in future auctions to supply isolated systems. Steagall added that the government is expected to hold auctions for these regions in 2021.

In addition to its biodiesel business, the company announced a joint venture with US ethanol plant producers ICM to build a corn ethanol plant in Roraima. With initial investment of R220mn, the company plans to produce 400mn l/yr of ethanol.

Part of the corn ethanol plant's production will be used as catalyst for biodiesel production, but the bulk of the ethanol supply will be sold in Roraima.

"Roraima is the state with the highest gasoline prices, which means our ethanol will be competing with the most expensive gasoline in Brazil," Steagall said, adding that the company plans to take advantage of new legislation that will allow it to sell ethanol directly to the service stations.


Sharelinkedin-sharetwitter-sharefacebook-shareemail-share

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News
28/03/24

ACT to partner with LR, Wartsila, and UECC on CNSL

ACT to partner with LR, Wartsila, and UECC on CNSL

London, 28 March (Argus) — Dutch supplier ACT Group is collaborating with classification society Lloyd's Register, Finnish engine manufacturer Wartsila, and Norwegian shipping firm United European Car Carriers (UECC) on the development and evaluation of cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) as a biofuel in marine biodiesel blends. ACT confirmed the launch of a CNSL-based biofuel called "FSI.100", which has gone through extensive engine testing with various blend combinations. The CNSL-based biofuel has now received approval from engine manufactures to be blended as a 30pc component with marine gasoil (MGO) to form a marine biodiesel blend for the purpose of further sea trials. ACT confirmed that the FSI.100 product will benefit from lower acidity, and there is potential for the product to be compatible for blending with fuel oil. CNSL is an advanced biodiesel feedstock, making it a more appealing and price competitive option to buyers compared with other biodiesel feedstocks. The development follows a report by Lloyd's Register fuel oil bunkering analysis and advisory service (FOBAS) that pointed to a correlation between engine fuel pump and injector-related damage in vessels and the presence of "unestablished" CNSL in the utilised marine fuels. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Read more
News

Japan’s Renova starts Miyagi biomass power plant


28/03/24
News
28/03/24

Japan’s Renova starts Miyagi biomass power plant

Tokyo, 28 March (Argus) — Japanese renewable power developer Renova started commercial operations today at its 75MW Ishinomaki Hibarino biomass-fired power plant in northeast Japan's Miyagi prefecture. The power plant is designed to consume an undisclosed volume of wood pellets and palm kernel shells (PKS) to generate around 530 GWh/yr of electricity. Renova originally targeted to start up the power plant in May 2023 but postponed the start-up multiple times. Renova has been forced to delay the start-up schedules at several of its power plants. It previously targeted to begin commercial operations of the 75MW Omaezaki biomass power plant this month but postponed it to July, as the final adjustment of boiler and turbine units is taking longer than expected. It delayed the launch of the 74.8MW Tokushima Tsuda biomass power plant in September before it began commercial operations in December 2023 . Japan imported 1mn t of wood pellets during January-February, up by 14pc from the same period in 2023, according to the finance ministry. PKS purchases fell by 24pc to 466,186t. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Brazil, France launch €1bn program to protect Amazon


27/03/24
News
27/03/24

Brazil, France launch €1bn program to protect Amazon

Sao Paulo, 27 March (Argus) — Brazil and France launched a four-year, €1bn ($1.1bn) investment program to protect the Amazon rainforest using private and public funds, the countries said on Tuesday as French president Emmanuel Macron is visiting the South American nation. "Gathered in Belem, in the heart of the Amazon, we, Brazil and France, Amazonian countries, have decided to join forces to promote an international roadmap for protection of tropical forests," the two countries said. Under the program, Brazil's public banks — such as the Bndes development bank — and the French development agency will form "technical and financial partnerships." The two countries also agreed to develop new research projects on sustainable sectors and create a research hub to share technologies to develop the bioeconomy. Macron and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Belem — near the mouth of the Amazon and the host city of Cop 30 — on 26 March. During the trip, indigenous leader and environmental campaigner Raoine Metuktire, of the Kayapo tribe, urged Lula to prevent construction of the 900km (559-mile) Ferrograo railroad , which could lower costs of transporting grains from Mato Grosso state, Brazil's largest agricultural producer. Macron will also visit Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and capital Brasilia. This is his first trip to Brazil, as he had cut ties with the South American country during former president Jair Bolsonaro's administration. Bolsonaro put little focus on environmental protections during his term, policies that his successor has reversed. Brazil now aims to reach zero deforestation by 2030. It reduced deforestation in the Amazon by almost 50pc last year, according to government data. Deforestation in the region hit 196km² in January-February, a 63pc drop from the same period in 2023 and a six-year low, according to NGO Imazon, which focuses on research to promote climate justice in the Amazon. By Lucas Parolin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Baltimore bridge collapse to raise retail fuel prices


27/03/24
News
27/03/24

Baltimore bridge collapse to raise retail fuel prices

Houston, 27 March (Argus) — The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, is more likely to increase regional gasoline prices than diesel due to additional freight costs and certain route restrictions. Suppliers in the region have so far signaled that the effect on broader markets will be minimal, but regional prices will likely rise, especially as peak summer demand season begins with Memorial Day weekend in late May. The bridge closure could pose more problems for gasoline supply than diesel, since gasoline cannot be transported through the Fort McHenry (I-95) and Baltimore Harbor (I-895) tunnels — the two other major roads that cross the Patapsco River at Baltimore — while there are no restrictions on diesel, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA). Fuel wholesaler Global Partners said yesterday that it would like to see hours of service waivers for trucking in the region to minimize fuel supply disruption to customers, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is yet to issue one. Elevated retail prices are likely to be limited to the immediate Baltimore area but could spill over into neighboring markets should trucking markets remain tight due to rerouting, market sources told Argus . Fuel markets in eastern Maryland can be supplied by PBF's 171,000 b/d Delaware City, Delaware, refinery and two further plants in Pennsylvania — Monroe Energy's 190,000 b/d Trainer refinery and PBF's 160,000 b/d Paulsboro refinery. To the north, United Refining runs a 65,000 b/d plant in Warren, Pennsylvania, and along the Atlantic coast Phillips 66 operates the 259,000 b/d Bayway refinery in Linden, New Jersey. PBF, Monroe and United did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the bridge collapse is affecting refinery operations. Phillips 66 declined to comment on commercial activities. Still, the five nearby refineries — representing all the Atlantic coast's 850,000 b/d of crude processing capacity — are unlikely to see their operations curtailed by limits in shipping products to Maryland. With no refinery in the state of Maryland, most fuels are delivered to Baltimore by Gulf coast refiners on the Colonial Pipeline. Global Partners, which operates a terminal just west of the collapsed bridge, said yesterday it is primarily supplied by the pipeline and expects product flows to continue. Several terminals in the Baltimore Harbor and the nearby Port Salisbury can also receive small vessels and barges of road fuels from Delaware and Pennsylvania, according to the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA). The Port of Baltimore — which remains closed since the collapse — took delivery of 24,000 b/d of gasoline and under 2,000 b/d of distillates from barges and small vessels in 2019, about three percent of the Atlantic coast's refining capacity. "A closure of the Port of Baltimore while the Colonial Pipeline is open would not significantly disrupt fuel supply," the MEA wrote in a 2022 analysis of liquid fuels supply in the state. By Nathan Risser Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Ethanol constraints minor on Baltimore closure: Update


27/03/24
News
27/03/24

Ethanol constraints minor on Baltimore closure: Update

Houston, 27 March (Argus) — Ethanol flows in the US northeast may only see minor near term constraints following the closure of the Port of Baltimore due to the collapse of a bridge at the mouth of the waterway. Producers and other market participants expect longer local transit times for trucks carrying hazardous materials — including ethanol — to retail stations because of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carried nearly 12.4mn cars and trucks in 2023, according to Maryland state data. This will lead to higher associated costs, but market sources say the region's supply chain flexibility, rail access and available stocks should mitigate near-term ethanol supply interruptions. Ethanol rail deliveries into the Baltimore market are expected to increase, offsetting the loss of barge supply for the duration of the port's closure. Railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX have rail access at the Port of Baltimore, while Kinder Morgan operates the primary transload terminal. US east coast ethanol stocks in March are at their highest monthly average since April 2020 at 8.76mn bl, according to the Energy Information Administration. By Payne Williams 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