UK parliament approves SAF mandate from 2025

Spanish Market: Biofuels, E-fuels, Electricity, Hydrogen, Oil products
06/11/24

The UK parliament has approved the proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate that will come into effect on 1 January, 2025.

Obligated suppliers will have to deliver a 2pc share of SAF in 2025, increasing to 10pc in 2030, 15pc in 2035 and 22pc in 2040. The obligation will remain at 22pc from 2040 "until there is greater certainty regarding SAF supply".

The obligation arises at the point at which a supplier's jet fuel can be supplied only to UK aviation.

Hydrotreated esters and fatty acids (HEFA) SAF can be used to meet 100pc of SAF demand in 2025 and 2026, but will be capped at 71pc in 2030 and 35pc in 2040. An obligation for Power-to-Liquid (PtL) SAF will be introduced from 2028 at 0.2pc of total jet fuel demand, rising to 0.5pc in 2030 and 3.5pc in 2040.

Buy-out mechanisms will be set at the equivalent of £4.70/l ($6.10/l) and £5.00/l ($6.50/l) for the main and PtL obligations, respectively.

"It is projected that, between 2025 and 2040, the SAF mandate could deliver up to 25mn t of SAF, securing a saving of up to 54mn t of carbon dioxide", said transport minister John Hendy.

The UK confirmed on 17 July it will introduce the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Revenue Support Mechanism) bill to support SAF production. The government previously said it aims to introduce the mechanism, which will be industry funded, by the end of 2026.

"Together with the SAF mandate, [the mechanism] will give the investment community confidence to invest in these novel and innovative technologies", Hendy said.

By Evelina Lungu

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.

09/12/24

Braya may idle Canada RD plant by year-end

New York, 9 December (Argus) — The largest renewable diesel (RD) producer in Canada is weighing whether to idle its 18,000 b/d biorefinery before the end of the year, citing poor margins and uncertainty about US biofuels policy. Braya Renewable Fuels — which began commercial operations in February at a former petroleum refinery in Come-by-Chance, Newfoundland and Labrador — said any potential shutdown would be temporary to see if market conditions improve. The company had previously planned to increase capacity to 35,000 b/d and to also produce sustainable aviation fuel. "Braya plans to retain its permanent workforce if a temporary economic shutdown is required" and "all equipment would be maintained in good condition and in a ready to start mode", refinery manager Paul Burton said. Other Canadian biorefineries have criticized what they see as an unlevel playing field between US and Canadian producers, since ample supply of US-produced renewable diesel has arrived in Canada this year and helped crash prices of federal and British Columbia clean fuel credits. Economics for Canadian biofuel producers could worsen in January when a US tax credit for blenders of biomass-based diesel expires and is replaced by an incentive that can exclusively be claimed by US producers, likely deterring foreign fuel imports. Braya has seen "lower-than-normal margins" recently and "short-term market disruptions" from the looming expiration of that blenders credit, Burton said. A proposal to extend the blenders credit for another year faces long odds in Congress' lame duck session, energy lobbyists have said . Braya has exported more than 2.1mn bl of renewable diesel into the US this year, largely into California, bills of lading indicate. An additional vessel with an estimated 345,000 bl of renewable diesel was scheduled to reach Long Beach, California, last weekend according to data from trade and analytics platforms Kpler, reflecting foreign producers' incentive to rush biofuel into the US before the end of the year. Braya has also criticized policy shifts in California, where regulators recently updated the state low-carbon fuel standard to eventually limit credit generating opportunities for fuels made from soybean and canola oil. In August comments to California regulators, Braya said that it had "entered into tens of millions of dollars of soybean oil feedstock contracts for 2025" and that soybean oil at the time represented "well in excess" of 20pc of its feedstock mix. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

German heating oil demand surges before CO2 tax hike

09/12/24

German heating oil demand surges before CO2 tax hike

Hamburg, 9 December (Argus) — Consumers in Germany stocked up on heating oil during the past week in preparation for the CO2 tax hike in 2025, taking advantage of the recent drop in prices. Traded volumes of heating oil, as reported to Argus, rose by almost half last week on the week. Consumers seized the opportunity of low prices — which had fallen by about €4.50/100l since 22 November — to build up their heating oil inventories again, despite storage levels still being unusually high. Privately-owned heating oil tanks were maintained at an average filling level of 60.6pc on 5 December, two percentage points up from 2023, as shown by data from Argus MDX. The continued stocking up on heating oil is largely because of the anticipated price increase from 1 January. Germany's CO2 tax will increase from €45/tCO2eq in 2024 to €55/tCO2eq in 2025. This would result in a price increase of about €2.70/100l for heating oil, according to Argus calculations. But traders are reporting premiums in the range of €3/100l to €4/100l for heating oil in January. Diesel prices could increase by about €3.50/100l in January, Ar gus calculations show. In addition to the CO2 tax increase, the greenhouse gas (GHG) quota, which will rise from 9.35pc to 10.6pc next year, will also impact diesel prices. Diesel for delivery in January is currently trading at between €4/100l and €7.50/100l higher than for December delivery, traders said. As a result, traders anticipate that diesel demand will also increase before the year ends, but it remains low so far. The fill level of industrial diesel tanks has started to recover after hitting a four-year low at the beginning of November. The level was about 53.6pc on 5 December, less than one percentage point below the same time last year. By Natalie Müller Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia’s QPM to buy Moranbah gas-fired power station

09/12/24

Australia’s QPM to buy Moranbah gas-fired power station

Sydney, 9 December (Argus) — Australian independent QPM Energy will buy the 12.8MW gas-fired Moranbah power station (MPS) as the firm pivots from battery materials to being a central Queensland-focused gas developer. Carbon Logica signed an agreement to acquire the power plant from Sustainable Energy Infrastructure, owned by infrastructure management firm Whitehelm Capital, for A$10.5mn ($6.7mn), QPM said on 9 December. QPM will then lease the facility from Australian mining services firm Carbon Logica, before it takes ownership of the plant. The sale will settle over a four-year period, with operations and maintenance to be conducted by QPM, which will also receive all MPS' electricity sales. QPM also owns the 64 TJ/d (1.74mn m³/d) Moranbah gas project. QPM renamed itself from Queensland Pacific Metals last month, and in April announced it would cut spending on its Townsville Energy Chemicals Hub project which aims to produce 16,000 t/yr of nickel and 1,750 t/yr of cobalt sulphates from imported laterite ore, citing the slumping global nickel price. The company is seeking to increase waste gas production from the Bowen basin's coal mines to 35 TJ/d by late 2024, up from October-December 2023's 28 TJ/d. Coal mines captured under Australia's greenhouse emissions reduction laws must reduce methane gas flaring under stricter laws to be imposed from 1 July 2025. QPM signed a revenue-sharing deal for excess power generated from Thai-owned Ratch Australia's Townsville Power Station (TPS) on 4 December. The 10-year agreement begins on 1 July next year and will cover revenue from the plant above QPM gas supply levels of 12 TJ/d, with operating costs for TPS and the 108 TJ/d North Queensland gas pipeline to be recovered first. Gas peaking plants can generate significant profits as Australia's electricity markets transition supply from thermal to renewable generators, particularly during the evening peak when wholesale spot electricity market prices can soar above A$1,000/MWh. QPM wants to develop 300MW of new gas-fired power generation at its Moranbah project, because of the state government's policy for an additional 3GW of new gas-fired generation as it retires coal-fired plants in the coming years. Only 2.2GW of the presently installed 2.9GW of capacity is being dispatched, mainly owing to a lack of domestic gas supply, QPM said on 14 November. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US H2 hopes at risk with 45V uncertainty: Industry

06/12/24

US H2 hopes at risk with 45V uncertainty: Industry

Houston, 6 December (Argus) — US hydrogen industry developers need more clarity on federal production tax credits (PTC) before moving forward with projects but are hopeful they can convince the incoming administration of the benefits they represent. A raft of hydrogen projects were announced in the US after President Joe Biden announced billions of dollars in federal funding and tax credits for hydrogen within the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. But much of that euphoria fizzled after the US Treasury last December proposed rules mimicking European standards that some in the industry argue are too stringent and would make many projects, especially those using natural gas, uneconomical. "Everyone looked at the US as a very promising market but the reality is that as time goes by uncertainty is growing," said Ana Quelhas, managing director of hydrogen at EDP, on a panel this week at the Reuters EnergyLive conference in Houston, Texas. "There's a big question mark related to the implementation of 45V and that's very bad for investors." The US still has the opportunity to be a leader in hydrogen if it can implement rules around how the 45V credit is applied correctly, said Tomeka McLeod, vice president of hydrogen at BP. If so-called blue projects — which make hydrogen from natural gas — can get the full $3/kg credit, "... it would make our projects some of the most competitive globally," McLeod said. Rules related to the use of renewable and certified natural gas in hydrogen production still need to be "hammered out," she said. BP aims to have 5-10 projects online by the end of decade but McLeod says they will be evaluated by the same internal standards of any other project. "We need to make sure that the economics of those projects work, they need to be able to compete within our portfolio," she said. BP is part of the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2) that recently received $1bn in Department of Energy (DOE) funding and plans to produce hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture to power its Whiting refinery in Indiana. Christmas gift or lump of coal Many of those gathered at the conference in Houston this week said they hoped further guidance would arrive "like a Christmas present" in the waning weeks of the year, and the Biden administration would sew up any lingering details before leaving office. Nonetheless, they still expect to be subjected to further scrutiny under the Trump administration, which has made clear its disdain for clean-energy mandates. Learning to speak to the concerns of the new administration will be crucial to success, industry leaders said, including explaining hydrogen's role in promoting national security and job creation. "We need to educate this incoming administration and collaborate and make sure that the momentum that is already here continues, and [show] that we can actually do the right thing from a national energy security perspective," said Sanjay Shrestha, president of Plug Power, a company that develops hydrogen fuel cells to replace conventional batteries. Keystate Energy chief executive Perry Babb, whose company is looking to produce clean hydrogen in Pennsylvania, said aligning with the administration's goals as well as a solid business case will be key to survival. "We will need to speak the language of the administration," Babb said. By Jasmina Kelemen Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Republicans weigh two-step plan on energy, taxes

06/12/24

Republicans weigh two-step plan on energy, taxes

Washington, 6 December (Argus) — Republicans in the US Congress are considering trying to pass president-elect Donald Trump's legislative agenda by voting first on a filibuster-proof budget package that revises energy policy, then taking up a separate tax cut bill later in 2025. The two-part strategy, floated by incoming US Senate majority leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), could deliver Trump an early win by putting immigration, border security and energy policy changes into a single budget bill that could pass early next year without Democratic support. Republicans would then have more time to debate a separate — and likely more complex — budget package that would focus on extending a tax package expected to cost more than $4 trillion over 10 years. The legislative strategy is a "possibility" floated among Senate Republicans for achieving Trump's legislative goals on "energy dominance," the border, national security and extending tax cuts, Thune said in an interview with Fox News this week. Thune said he was still having conversations with House Republicans and Trump's team on what strategy to pursue. Republicans plan to use a process called budget reconciliation to advance most of Trump's legislative goals, which would avoid a Democratic filibuster but restrict the scope of policy changes to those that directly affect the budget. But some Republicans worry the potential two-part strategy could fracture the caucus and cause some key policies getting dropped, spurring a debate among Republicans over how to move forward. "We have a menu of options in front of us," US House speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said this week in an interview with Fox News. "Leader Thune and I were talking as recently as within the last hour about the priority of how we do it and in what sequence." Republicans have yet to decide what changes they will make to the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars of tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing, carbon capture and clean hydrogen. A group of 18 House Republicans in August said they opposed a "full repeal" of the 2022 law. Republicans next year will start with only a 220-215 majority in the House, which will then drop to 217-215 once two Republicans join the Trump administration and representative Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) resigns. By Chris Knight 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