US ethanol investments and business decisions driven by 45Z and 45Q tax credits are slated to be the primary drivers of industry changes next year, as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) begins to take hold in the midcontinent and Gulf coast regions.
Major ethanol producers such as Archer Daniels-Midland (ADM), Green Plains and POET are investing heavily in CCS, which captures CO2 generated from ethanol production. The captured carbon is then piped to sites with geological formations suitable for injection and storage, some of which are located around Wyoming, the Dakotas and in the US Gulf coast.
Ethanol production in conjunction with CCS allows for a lower carbon intensity score and creates a more valuable product that is eligible for 45Z and 45Q incentives. Sustainable energy company Tallgrass has successfully injected carbon via its Trailblazer pipeline in southeastern Wyoming. But other CCS companies have had bumpier journeys.
Summit Carbon Solutions was denied a pipeline permit earlier this year in South Dakota but has since made progress in other states through which the company is looking to build its pipeline. Further south, EPA in November granted Texas permission to issue permits for CCS wells. There are 61 well applications under review in Texas, one-third of which were received in the last 12 months, according to EPA.
Besides the backlog, the CCS industry is outpacing federal agencies in other ways. The US Internal Revenue Service and Department of Treasury recently issued stopgap guidance in the event that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tools for reporting CCS are not up and running by the middle of next year.
Although tax credits allow for bigger producer opportunities, ethanol supply-demand fundamentals will be tested heading into next year. US ethanol production this year has reached all-time highs at multiple points, slowly driving ethanol stocks upward and putting more emphasis on currently robust export markets.
Ethanol exports this year through September averaged 135,000 b/d, the highest level ever for the nine-month period in US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data going back to 2012.
Market sentiment remains bullish on exports going into the first quarter, with robust demand coming from Canada, the UK and Europe, although trade routes are always subject to policy changes. Canada is mulling volume minimums to support domestic low-carbon fuels. Although not yet law, the bill indicates potential for Canadian renewable fuels to partially displace some US exports to that country.
Domestic ethanol demand is poised to grow modestly over the next year as 15pc ethanol blends (E15) expand into new markets as the policy landscape becomes more welcoming.
California passed legislation in October allowing E15 sales. However, the California Environmental Policy Council still needs to approve the legislation before the California Air Resources Board (CARB) can go about deciding how to implement the policy. The state's inclusion of E15 comes as oil refineries close and as the state faces a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in a decade.
At the federal level, fuel groups are lobbying to get the White House on board with a bill that would lead to higher ethanol blends year-round and remove the need for seasonal waivers from the EPA. Any permanent changes to year-round E15 would have to be in the form of legislation from Congress.
Previous bills involving year-round E15 have been unsuccessful. Boosting biofuel blending has proven divisive as congress members attempt to manage interests from agricultural and oil constituents.
