VAROPreem to buy Sweden’s tall oil refiner Sunpine

: Biofuels, Chemicals
26/02/20

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

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26/02/23

Netherlands opens €33.6mn clean shipping subsidy round

London, 23 February (Argus) — 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 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

National ethanol mandate key for Australian biofuels

26/02/23

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.

Australia worse off under new US tariff plans: Minister

26/02/23

Australia worse off under new US tariff plans: Minister

Sydney, 23 February (Argus) — The US Trump administration's plan for a new 15pc global tariff will hamper Australia's recent uptick in trade to the country, Australia's federal trade minister Don Farrell said, while New Zealand's exporters may experience a net benefit. The US should work within the free trade agreement (FTA) it holds with Australia, Farrell said on 23 February, ahead of his visit to Los Angeles this week. His comments came after the US Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the country's International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) on 20 February, blocking US president Donald Trump's ability to extract concessions from trading partners and punish countries that reject his demands. The White House has responded by pledging to increase the US' global tariff from 10pc to 15pc , effectively increasing the cost of Australian goods in the US by 5pc. Trade with the US has increased since the "liberation day" tariffs were first imposed in April 2025, Farrell said, but this competitive advantage may be lost under the new policy. Tariffs that previously targeted specific countries, including the additional 40pc duty on some Brazilian products, have been reduced to 10pc since 20 February 2025. This puts Brazilian products, such as tallow, on the same tariff rate that Australia has long held, removing the advantage Australian suppliers previously held with US importers. The 15pc rate will not apply to Australia's beef exports, the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) said. But sheep and goat meat exports face a 5pc tariff increase under the plan. The comparative advantage held by the nation's red meat exporters appears lost, the AMIC added. Beef volumes entering the US from Brazil and New Zealand appear to have declined in recent months, while shipments from Australia hit the highest monthly volume since January 2003 in November . The newly announced plan for further tariffs should provide impetus to Australia's long-stalled FTA negotiations with the EU, Farrell said. The FTA is held up on key agricultural market access issues, which has long hampered freer trade between the bloc and Australia. New Zealand better off New Zealand's exports to the US have faced a 15pc so-called reciprocal tariff since August 2025 , while competitors such as Australia, Argentina and the UK faced tariffs maintained at 10pc. New Zealand is now level on this measure apart from country-specific deals, business lobby ExportNZ said. The 15pc tariff imposed on many New Zealand exporters is unwarranted, New Zealand's trade minister Todd McClay said on 21 February, given the average tariff rate for to US goods entering New Zealand is 0.3pc. By Tom Major and Grace Dudley 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

26/02/19

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

26/02/19

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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