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Japan’s Kobelco to produce black pellets in Malaysia
Japan’s Kobelco to produce black pellets in Malaysia
Tokyo, 25 August (Argus) — Japanese steelmaker Kobe Steel (Kobelco) plans to produce torrefied wood pellets, also called black pellets, in Malaysia with a local firm, the company said on 25 August. Kobelco signed an agreement with Malaysian forestry company Samling Strategic Corporation on 18 August to jointly conduct a business feasibility study on the project in Sarawak, Malaysia. The companies are expected to complete the study by the end of 2025 at the earliest. They aim to start constructing the first factory for black pellets in 2026. This move underscores the rise in the use of torrefied biomass for the steel and metal industries as the non-power sector increasingly looks at options to cut its carbon footprint. The demand by steel and metal companies for torrefied biomass is expected to grow in Japan as well as globally, and could increase competition with the power sector for biomass supplies. Samling will provide the feedstock for black pellets from the forests that the company owns in Sarawak, Malaysia. The companies aim to reach 300,000 t/yr of capacity as early as possible. They aim to reach a capacity of 1-2 mn t/yr in the future. Kobelco will use the black pellets in steelmaking at its blast furnace to replace ground coal. The move is a part of the company's de-fossilisation strategy, the Japanese company said. The company may also sell the fuel to other companies in the steel and metal industry, in addition to private power generation, it added. Torrefied wood pellets have a higher calorific value than normal biomass fuels, including typical wood pellets. They have better water resistance and grindability compared with typical wood pellets. They also share key characteristics with coal and can be handled like coal. By Takeshi Maeda Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil's ag sector wants to flip climate script
Brazil's ag sector wants to flip climate script
Sao Paulo, 22 August (Argus) — Agriculture and land-use produce the largest share of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions, but the sector is trying to show it plans to clean up its act ahead of the UN Cop 30 summit there later this year. Emissions from agriculture and land-use, which ag contributing the most to the latter, accounted for 74pc of all Brazilian greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023, according to the latest data from GHG emissions monitoring platform SEEG. The agribusiness sector alone was responsible for over 97pc of all deforested area in the last six years in Brazil, according to land monitoring system MapBiomas. The sector will send observers to Cop 30 to promote its investments to adapt to and mitigate global warming, Brazil's agribusiness confederation CNA executive director Muni Lourenco said. Federal initiatives have pushed agribusiness into the climate action package as part of Brazil's strategy to both reduce climate change and support economic development, which Cop 30's executive director Ana Toni has said she will fight for during the summit. "Agribusiness can also be part of the climate solution," climate and society institute ICS director Maria Netto said during a climate conference recently. Brazil's Caminho Verde program aims at increasing productivity in the agribusiness sector through reforestation and recovering already deforested but unproductive land for planting. Agriculture occupies 280mn hectares in Brazil, of which 165mn are used as pastures and 82mn of those hectares are not considered productive. The program's goal is to recover 40mn lower-producing hectares by 2035, converting them to higher-producing areas without deforesting new lands. Other climate solutions stemming from agricultural practices are Brazil's mandatory biofuel mixes , which recently increased to 30pc of ethanol in gasoline and 15pc of biodiesel in diesel, and clean energy generation from agriculture waste such as sugarcane waste and manure. The biofuels that often come from agricultural feedstock count toward avoided emissions — the reduction that comes from burning this substitute for fossil fuel — but this does not help solve the agriculture industry's emissions problem. Still, the agricultural sector's presence in Brazil's climate action plan mainly stems from Brazil's government putting its foot down so it can try to comply with its nationally determined contribution (NDC). The NDC seeks to cut emissions by 59-67pc from 2005 levels by 2035, equivalent to 850mn-1.05bn tons of CO2 equivalent. The Brazilian NDC also aims at achieving zero liquid emissions — when emissions and carbon capture offset each other — by 2050 through low-carbon agriculture and cattle raising practices and reforestation, among other goals. This works to address the climate impact of its largest economic driver while not alienating the sector . Balancing act Yet agriculture's legislative efforts often clash with executive wishes to strengthen Brazil's climate-friendly image. Earlier in August, Lula partially vetoed a new environmental licensing bill, eliminating most of the items supported by the agricultural sector and coalition of lawmakers from rural states. The final text maintained a special licensing model that fast-tracks primarily agriculture ventures, but blocked the proposals to create a self-licensing procedure for small agriculture projects. Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva had also criticized the original bill because it could block trade deals — such as the EU-Mercosur — that rely on complying to climate pledges. Brazil's business interests will continue to argue that developing countries cannot be held to the same standards as much higher-polluting developed economies. The impact of each country's climate and environment are also key, groups such as CNA say. "Brazil cannot be put under temperate [climate] standards when it operates under tropical circumstances," Lourenco added. By Maria Frazatto Percentage of emissions 2023 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Batteries can better Brazil power grid: Panelists
Batteries can better Brazil power grid: Panelists
Sao Paulo, 19 August (Argus) — Better developing battery systems to store renewable energy would support Brazil's power generation capacity and help it reach its supply potential, panelists at a climate summit in Sao Paulo, Brazil, said today. Battery energy storage systems (Bess) could help in regulating renewable energy generation when it exceeds demand, power company Comerc Energia's chief executive Clarissa Sadock said. Brazil has an abundance of renewable energy sources, including hydropower and wind. Hydroelectric and distributed generation account for more than half of Brazil's power matrix, at 41pc and 18pc, respectively. Wind sources represent 15pc, while thermal, solar and biomass contribute with less than 10pc each, according to grid operator ONS. Some major agricultural producers have adopted battery systems to store electricity and distribute it to large farms in more remote area, Sadock said, adding that installing Bess is less expensive than building a transmission line to these rural sites. But overall Brazil's Bess system development has been modest . Battery systems would be a solution for power flexibility with controllable energy sources — such as renewables — to promptly meet demand and regulate supply, especially during peak hours. They can also balance peak capacity in Brazil's electric grid, adjust quality and enable digital solutions. Brazil's installed power capacity will increase by 36GW to reach 268GW by 2029, mainly driven by growth in renewable sources, according to ONS' 2025-29 power operations plan. By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazil eyes nature-based solutions ahead of Cop 30
Brazil eyes nature-based solutions ahead of Cop 30
Sao Paulo, 19 August (Argus) — Brazil will be focused on seeking nature-based solutions at the UN Cop 30 climate summit later this year aimed at drawing private and public investments to reduce emissions below 1.5ºC, according to the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). Brazil can deliver the nature-based solutions necessary to reach global mitigation goals, such as regenerative agriculture and bioeconomy, CEBDS's president Marina Grossi said at a climate summit in Sao Paulo on Tuesday. "As energy demand will double in the next 10 years, it does not matter what kind of energy it will be supplied as long as it is energy", Grossi added. The energy transition agenda faces global challenges to draw investments from private sectors and should seek to coordinate with forest, agriculture, mining, transportation and cattle raising sectors, according to Grossi. She also pointed out that investments from banks such as development bank Bndes, the Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), should be more innovative about environmental impacts, instead of financing small impact projects. While countries in the so-called Global South have clear advantages in the energy transition agenda, due to wider resources reserves and developing infrastructure, investments from the private sector must prevail to make the agenda more viable. "The goal is to have a state agenda, rather than a left- or right-wing agenda", Grossi said, mentioning the influence of private sectors on the government agenda ahead of Brazil's presidential elections in 2026. Regarding private investments, attributing value to sustainable projects remains a hurdle, the head of sustainable solutions in the Americas of global financing group SMBC's Dolph Habeck said. He added that engaging in both social and financial benefits to promote decarbonization among private investors, who can focus on financial returns and moral obligations with the environment, is vital. "Brazil has one of the most ambitious, entrepreneurial environments I have ever seen," he said. "And so does Latin America when it comes to sustainability focused on morality and finance." Besides environmental targets, Cop 30, which is slated for November, will also address a social agenda , especially regarding the rights of indigenous and traditional peoples. By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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