Netherlands opens €33.6mn clean shipping subsidy round

Spanish Market: Biofuels, Hydrogen, Petrochemicals
23/02/26

The Netherlands will open the second funding round under its €210mn ($247.8mn) Maritime Masterplan (MMP) on 19 May 2026, allocating €33.6mn to projects deploying alternative marine fuels on newbuild or retrofitted vessels, the infrastructure and water management ministry said.

The 2026 call expands on the first 2024 round, which backed hydrogen and methanol propulsion as well as carbon capture systems on LNG fuelled ships. The new round adds "limited eligibility" for ammonia and bioethanol projects. The ministry said the change follows industry feedback seeking wider fuel options.

Companies have until 3 November 2026 to apply. Projects can receive up to €8mn each, covering research and development and demonstration activities. Of the total budget, €21.6mn is reserved for projects requesting more than €4mn, with €12mn available for applications below that threshold. Each bid must come from a consortium of at least "two unrelated firms".

The funding is intended to support the government's plan to demonstrate around 30 climate neutral vessels in the coming years as part of its zero emission shipping strategy.

The first MMP round, open from June to October 2024, awarded €85mn across three technology lines: €40mn for hydrogen powered vessels, €25mn for methanol projects and €20mn for carbon capture systems on LNG ships.

A third and final call under the scheme is scheduled for 2029.

By Chingis Idrissov

Projects selected under the 2024 MMP round
Project name	Consortium	Vessel type	Fuel line technology

Blue Horizon	Carbotreat, IHC, Anthony Veder, TNO	Retrofit for LNG tanker (Coral Energy)	Carbon capture unit on LNG vessel
ME2CC	Carbotreat, IHC, others	Retrofit for roll-on-roll-off cargo ship (Samskip Kvitbjorn)	Carbon capture unit on LNG vessel
Columbus Zero One	Mineralis, NPRC, Faasse Maritiem	Newbuild inland beunschip (sand-carrier barge)	Gaseous H2 (350 bar) with fuel cells
Gaasterland H2	Mineralis, TNO, Vink Diesel, Kuster H2 Energy, Nexus Marine, Zwijnenburg Shipyard, Verhoef EMC	Retrofit deep-suction dredger	Hybrid with H2 combustion engine and fuel cells
H2Estia	Nederlandse Innovatie Maatschappij (NIM), suppliers & research partners	Newbuild coastal general cargo ship	Liquid H2 with fuel cells
Hydro Navis	SIF Group, NPRC, Hydro Nova, Marin, NIM, Concordia Damen	Newbuild inland push-tug and barge	Liquid H2 with fuel cells
Nera-H2	NPRC, Marin, Teamco, NIM, others	Newbuild river cruise vessel	Hydrogen fuel cells and battery system
Methanorms	Fugro + 9 industrial partners + 5 research institutes	Retrofit survey vessel (Fugro Galaxy)	Methanol-powered vessel
Moby-NL	Victrol, Shipping Technology, NIM, Rensen & Driessen, MARIN, TNO	Newbuild methanol bunkering vessel	Methanol-powered vessel
Dutch Maritime Network

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23/02/26

National ethanol mandate key for Australian biofuels

Sydney, 23 February (Argus) — An enforceable federal-level ethanol mandate — based on an improved version of Queensland's current scheme — is key to supporting domestic ethanol production, according to the industry body Australian Sugar Manufacturers (ASM). Ethanol is a feedstock for producing sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, but the absence of a federal mandate — combined with "exemptions and loopholes" in Queensland's state-based policy — has reduced incentives to produce ethanol, said the ASM's chief executive Ash Salardini in a statement released last week. Queensland's bio-based gasoline mandate requires 4pc of the total volume of regular unleaded gasoline sales and ethanol-blended fuel sales by liable fuel retailers to be ethanol. Retailers are only subject to the ethanol mandate if they operate 10 or more sites or sell more than 500,000 litres of all grades of petrol across any site in a calendar quarter. But the mandate's effectiveness has been limited. Exemptions are routinely granted for reasons including the cost to upgrade infrastructure, the unavailability of compatible infrastructure and ethanol supply issues. This has eroded compliance and depressed domestic demand, said Salardini. The Queensland government has previously said that in any given quarter since the introduction of the mandate in January 2017, around half of liable fuel retailers have held an exemption, and this is currently still the case, according to market participants. A "strong, enforceable" mandate and state and federal investment is required to provide the certainty needed by the sugar manufacturing and ethanol industries to expand production, Salardini said. Several existing sugar mills could be converted to produce ethanol, but without clear government policy to create demand, there is no commercial incentive to proceed, he added. New South Wales (NSW) has a higher 6pc ethanol mandate, but like in Queensland, the mandate has never been reached. Fuel retailers may claim exemptions from blending ethanol when the price exceeds the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal's (IPART's) "reasonable wholesale price" of ethanol. This price is based on a nine-month average of weekly price estimates from the lowest-cost origin for ethanol from either the US or Brazil plus freight, the current rate of fuel excise, customs duty and port costs. IPART's determinations set a ceiling price for domestic ethanol prices, as selling above that threshold allows retailers to avoid blending requirements. Exports rise on slow domestic demand Ethanol has increasingly been exported from Australia, primarily to markets with stronger ethanol blending requirements, such as the Philippines, which has a 10pc ethanol mandate . Australia exported 112.2mn l of denatured and undenatured ethanol last year, with 71pc of those volumes heading to the Philippines, according to Global Trade Tracker (GTT) data. Most of those exports were from the port of Sydney in NSW, as producer Manildra has been able to capture a premium compared to selling domestically for gasoline blending. Australia imported 1.4mn l of imported denatured and undenatured ethanol in 2025, according to GTT data. Since mid-2024, Argus price data (see graph) shows ethanol delivered to the Philippines maintained a strong premium compared to gasoline delivered to Australian east coast ports. Ethanol generally needs to be cheaper than gasoline to be commercially viable in fuel blending in the absence of a strong mandate, due to ethanol's lower energy content. Because of this, Australia's ethanol producers have been price takers, with the gasoline import price effectively setting the ceiling price. Premiums can be achieved for food-grade ethanol and ethanol's use in chemical manufacturing for items such as hand sanitiser. Production has also been below capacity in recent years. Australia currently has two ethanol-producing plants — Wilmar's 60mn l/yr sugarcane-based plant in Sarina, Queensland, and Manildra's 300mn l/yr wheat-starch plant in Nowra, NSW. Both operated well below capacity in 2022, producing about 175mn litres combined, according to a 2025 Bioenergy Australia report. The plants are currently still operating below capacity, according to market participants. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) updated excise taxes on 2 February this year, setting the excise on ethanol at A$0.172/l ($0.12/l) compared to A$0.526/l for gasoline. The ATO considers blends of ethanol and gasoline with 10pc or less ethanol (E10) to be 100pc petrol and the excise is A$0.526/l. There is no mandate for ethanol blending in other Australian states like Victoria, South Australia or Western Australia. The Queensland government is conducting an inquiry into sugarcane bioenergy opportunities, with a report due on 31 March. By Tom Woodlock and Grace Dudley Australia gasoline versus ethanol A$/l Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

European rPET faces structural challenges: Petcore

20/02/26

European rPET faces structural challenges: Petcore

Recycling capacity continues to expand worldwide, despite structural challenges in the European market, writes Chloe Kinner London, 20 February (Argus) — The European virgin PET (vPET) and rPET value chain is facing deep structural challenges, delegates at the Petcore annual conference in Rome heard on 5-6 February. The European commission recognises European plastics producers and recyclers face ongoing pressures from high energy costs and insufficient checks on imported products claiming compliance. But European recyclers are concerned that protective measures will come too late. In vPET, European producers and recyclers are affected by a global overcapacity crisis, driven by Asian overcapacity, and this is resulting in heightened trade defence activity and tightening European regulation. Trade was high on the agenda at the conference. Delegates discussed the limited impact anti-dumping investigations are having on safeguarding the market and noted that the EU-India free trade agreement may encourage more competition. Protective action is historically high, with chemicals representing a quarter of all active measures, EU trade defence officials said. Despite the challenges the European recycling market are facing, recycling capacity continues to expand worldwide, with around 1,600 mechanical recycling plants in operation. Government incentives, pressure from non-governmental organisations and strong investment flows, particularly in Asia, are propelling this growth. But from a European perspective, growth in global recycling capacity is causing aggressive price competition and rising outputs for recycled material from southeast Asia, Turkey and north Africa in particular, putting addition pressure on European rPET prices. Weak demand and well-stocked inventories are also putting downward pressure on European rPET prices, recyclers said. The industry is waiting on a forthcoming dedicated customs code for rPET, expecting that more accurate reporting of trade volumes will bring clarity to market dynamics and support future protective measures for the European recycling industry. There is also hope that separate HS codes for rPET could help to prevent unregulated material from entering the European market. The European Commission acknowledged that Europe lacks sufficient laboratory capacity for advanced chemical analysis on recycled material at scale. But highlighted that a simple but robust protocol to distinguish rPET from vPET is in development. Regulatory pressure and advancements were also in focus at the event. The industry will have to navigate a large quantity of EU legislation expected to arrive in 2026–30. Circular economies and competitiveness go hand in hand and maintaining a functioning single market is critical as national initiatives expand, the commission said. Petcore members were urged to strengthen cross-value chain dialogue to support consistent implementation of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and emerging traceability rules, but participants are concerned that a patchwork of differing legislation will develop in the coming years, making the market more complex and ultimately less competitive on a global level. The EU drafted the PPWR "in a rush", leaving many operational details unclear, conference participants said. The PPWR targets may be unachievable at scale with current technologies, particularly for plastics and products that currently have low collection and recycling rates, a few speakers said. Trays are especially difficult to make circular because of sorting and recycling costs. Many delegates feel that extended producer responsibility fees and eco-modulation are essential tools for keeping recycling economically viable, particularly for these emerging areas. An update to the SUPD implementing decision was voted on and passed during the conference . The decision clarifies mass balance rules and the inclusion of chemical recycling, and establishes rules for fuel-exempt mass balance. Recycled PET produced outside the EU market cannot count towards the 25pc recycled content for PET beverage bottles until after 21 November 2027, when imports from OECD countries will be allowed. Imports from non-OECD countries will be allowed to count if an agreement is reached with the EU and the country can prove environmentally sound management of plastic waste. The exclusion of imports towards recycled content targets may give European recyclers some "breathing space", at least in the short term. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

VAROPreem to buy Sweden’s tall oil refiner Sunpine

20/02/26

VAROPreem to buy Sweden’s tall oil refiner Sunpine

London, 20 February (Argus) — European renewable fuels producer VAROPreem has agreed to buy Swedish tall oil refiner Sunpine from forest firms Sveaskogs Forvaltning and Sodra, and from pine chemicals producer Lawter Europe. Sunpine is the world's largest producer of raw tall diesel, a key feedstock for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), VAROPreem said. The firm operates a 200,000 t/yr raw tall diesel plant in Pitea, Sweden, and refines crude tall oil (CTO), an Annex IX Part A feedstock under the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). Sunpine also makes pine-derived chemicals including rosin, turpentine and alpha-pinene. VAROPreem describes itself as Europe's second-largest and the world's sixth-largest renewable transport fuels producer. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by the first half of 2026. By Leonardo Siqueira Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

E15 council eyes more US biofuel quota waivers: Update

19/02/26

E15 council eyes more US biofuel quota waivers: Update

Updates with reaction from refiners, details on RIN return New York, 19 February (Argus) — A US House of Representatives Republican task force devising major reforms to road fuel markets has revised an earlier proposal to allow more gasoline and diesel to be exempted from annual biofuel quotas. The lawmakers last week floated limiting exemptions to 450mn program credits a year but is now considering a plan to raise that amount to 550mn credits a year in a bid to assuage oil refiners, according to three people familiar with the debate. The House last month punted on legislation that would have allowed year-round sales of gasoline containing 15pc ethanol (E15), up from 10pc currently, and that would have revamped the US biofuel quota program. Instead, the House asked a new E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council comprised of Republican lawmakers to propose changes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires oil companies to annually blend minimum volumes of biofuels or buy Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits from those that do, while letting small refineries bid for hardship exemptions that can save them tens of millions of dollars. One gallon of corn ethanol generates one RIN, while more energy-dense fuels like renewable diesel earn more. Exemption decisions have varied wildly over time, although President Donald Trump's administration has unnerved farmers by granting many refiners' hardship requests — including nearly 1bn RINs exempted from 2024 quotas, initially set at 21.5bn credits. The program is important for crop demand and retail fuel prices, and the council has tried to devise changes to make the program more predictable. The E15 council's latest proposal would make some changes immediately, including allowing year-round sales of E15 gasoline and blocking some Midwestern states from requiring a boutique fuel blend this summer that would allow more ethanol blending. The plan would also maintain an earlier provision that compensates some unnamed small refinery owners for past compliance by providing them with special RINs that do not expire . A framework shared with Argus shows that these credits — estimated at 363mn RINs — could be provided to refiners this year and could count toward old mandates or be used in future years. But the big changes to exemptions would take effect starting in 2028, a win for farm groups that were concerned the council's work would delay the Trump administration's efforts to set new biofuel quotas in the coming weeks. The latest plan would require EPA to exempt no more than 550mn RINs from annual biofuel obligations, starting in 2028, although that cap would increase or decrease proportionally as mandates get more or less ambitious. Regulators would not be able to force other companies to blend more biofuels to offset their smaller rivals' waivers, also starting in 2028, an addition pushed by oil majors. All refineries currently eligible could apply for exemptions, although the E15 council's latest plan would remove a requirement that only facilities that qualified at the program's outset could continue winning them, allowing refineries that process no more than 10,000 b/d of crude that started up later to compete for relief. An earlier bill backed by the American Petroleum Institute would have restricted exemptions to companies with limited collective refining capacity, angering firms that would have lost the ability to win exemptions for smaller units they own. The council instead wants to let EPA decide which facilities deserve relief, letting small companies, mid-sized refiners like Delek and even oil majors like Chevron still compete for a smaller pool of exemptions. The process for applying for hardship relief would largely stay the same, though refineries would have to apply for 2028 exemptions ahead of time and could appeal initial decisions. Under current rules, companies can submit hardship requests — including for years-old mandates — at any time. The proposal otherwise tracks closely with one the council circulated last week, including banning the creation of credits tied to electric vehicles and tasking a government watchdog with studying the mandate's impacts on fuel costs and refining capacity. Debate continues in Congress But the council's efforts to boost E15 sales and limit exemptions, already challenged by a backlash from refiners and skepticism from some Republicans, still face an uphill battle. A group of 27 oil refineries criticized the latest plan in a letter to the council Thursday. The bloc, which includes facilities small enough to win exemptions as well as larger units owned by merchant refiner PBF, wants the E15 council to scrap exemption caps and instead require regulators to set less-aspirational biofuel mandates tied to actual ethanol consumption. Biofuel advocates have privately responded coolly to the council's plans for distinct reasons. A group of farm groups and fuel retailers told lawmakers in a letter last week to not exempt any more than 450mn RINs a year. The council missed a goal of reaching an agreement by 15 February but has a separate goal that Congress will weigh the legislation by 25 February. The proposed biofuel changes would likely be added to larger legislation, but it is not clear what bill that would be. The office of council co-chair Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) declined to comment. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

House E15 council eyes more US biofuel quota waivers

19/02/26

House E15 council eyes more US biofuel quota waivers

New York, 19 February (Argus) — A US House of Representatives Republican task force devising major reforms to road fuel markets has revised an earlier proposal to allow more gasoline and diesel to be exempted from annual biofuel quotas. The lawmakers last week floated limiting exemptions to 450mn program credits a year but is now considering a plan to raise that amount to 550mn credits a year in a bid to assuage oil refiners, according to three people familiar with the debate. The House last month punted on legislation that would have allowed year-round sales of gasoline containing 15pc ethanol (E15), up from 10pc currently, and that would have revamped the US biofuel quota program. Instead, the House asked a new E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council comprised of Republican lawmakers to propose changes. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires oil companies to annually blend minimum volumes of biofuels or buy Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits from those that do, while letting small refineries bid for hardship exemptions that can save them tens of millions of dollars. One gallon of corn ethanol generates one RIN, while more energy-dense fuels like renewable diesel earn more. Exemption decisions have varied wildly over time, although President Donald Trump's administration has unnerved farmers by granting many refiners' hardship requests — including nearly 1bn RINs exempted from 2024 quotas, initially set at 21.5bn credits. The program is important for crop demand and retail fuel prices, and the council has tried to devise changes to make the program more predictable. The E15 council's latest proposal would make some changes immediately, including allowing year-round sales of E15 gasoline and blocking some Midwestern states from requiring a boutique fuel blend this summer that would allow more ethanol blending. The plan would also maintain an earlier provision that compensates some unnamed small refinery owners for past compliance by providing them with special RINs that do not expire . A framework shared with Argus shows that these credits — estimated at 363mn RINs — could be provided to refiners this year. But the big changes to exemptions would take effect starting in 2028, a win for farm groups that were concerned the council's work would delay the Trump administration's efforts to set new biofuel quotas in the coming weeks. The latest plan would require EPA to exempt no more than 550mn RINs from annual biofuel obligations, starting in 2028, although that cap would increase or decrease proportionally as mandates get more or less ambitious. Regulators would not be able to force other companies to blend more biofuels to offset their smaller rivals' waivers, also starting in 2028, an addition pushed by oil majors. All refineries currently eligible could apply for exemptions, although the E15 council's latest plan would remove a requirement that only facilities that qualified at the program's outset could continue winning them, allowing refineries that process no more than 10,000 b/d of crude that started up later to compete for relief. An earlier bill backed by the American Petroleum Institute would have restricted exemptions to companies with limited collective refining capacity, angering firms that would have lost the ability to win exemptions for smaller units they own. The council instead wants to let EPA decide which facilities deserve relief, letting small companies, mid-sized refiners like Delek and even oil majors like Chevron still compete for a smaller pool of exemptions. The process for applying for hardship relief would largely stay the same, though refineries would have to apply for 2028 exemptions ahead of time and could appeal initial decisions. Under current rules, companies can submit hardship requests — including for years-old mandates — at any time. The proposal otherwise tracks closely with one the council circulated last week, including banning the creation of credits tied to electric vehicles and tasking a government watchdog with studying the mandate's impacts on fuel costs and refining capacity. Debate continues in Congress But the council's efforts to boost E15 sales and limit exemptions, already challenged by a backlash from refiners and skepticism from some Republicans, still face an uphill battle. A group of farm groups and fuel retailers told lawmakers in a letter last week to not exempt any more than 450mn RINs. Oil refiners that benefit from the current exemption system have little reason to support changes. The council missed a goal of reaching an agreement by 15 February but has a separate goal that Congress will weigh the legislation by 25 February. The proposed biofuel changes would likely be added to larger legislation, but it is not clear what bill that would be. The office of council co-chair Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) declined to comment. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Netherlands opens €33.6mn clean shipping subsidy round

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