Mike Kandris, co-CEO of Pacific Ethanol Inc., announced on Aug. 12 that the company does not expect to reopen its idle fuel ethanol plants until it can better secure positive forward operating margins for the idle facilities.
U.S. ethanol production fell by more than 1 percent, while weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol fell by nearly 3 percent for the week ending Aug. 7, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Aug. 12.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration slightly increased its forecasts for 2020 and 2021 ethanol production in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, which was released Aug. 11. Forecasts for ethanol blending were also revised up.
The RFA on Aug. 6 celebrated the 15th anniversary of the RFS by releasing a report detailing the success of the program and hosting a media call to discuss the program's achievements and current challenges faced by the ethanol industry.
U.S. ethanol production fell by nearly 3 percent the week ending July 31, while weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol increased slightly, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Aug. 5.
BP on Aug. 4 announced a new strategy to transform from an international oil company focused on producing resources to an integrated energy company. As part of that goal, BP aims to become a net zero company by 2050.
The Andersons Inc. on Aug. 4 reported a profitable second quarter for all four of its business groups, including the ethanol group. The company also announced changes to its business structure, including the combining of the ethanol and trade groups.
The North Dakota Agricultural Products Utilization Commission has awarded Blue Flint $155,000 to research and conduct a feasibility study on the utilization of biomass as a fuel and power source for its 70 MMgy ethanol plant.
Green Plains' efforts to transform its business are continuing as the company focuses on the production of high-protein ingredients and USP-grade alcohol. As part of that effort, Green Plains is supplying high-grade alcohol to the makers of Lysol.
In response to COVID-19 , Didion has modified its ethanol production facility to meet a growing demand for high-quality industrial alcohol. The company will have the capacity to produce 50 MMgy of USP grade alcohol per year starting this fall.
Poet has announced its commitment to scale up production of industrial and beverage-grade alcohol at its biorefineries in Leipsic, Ohio, and Alexandria, Indiana. Poet said the changes will help meet growing demand caused by COVID-19.
A resolution introduced in the Nebraska Legislature on July 23 aims to determine what changes should be made to the state's statutory and regulatory policies in order to enhance and promote the biofuels industry in Nebraska.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, has announced ethanol production and sales were down a respective 2 percent and 14 percent during the first half of July despite a 14 percent increase in the volume of sugarcane processed.
Valero Energy Corp. released second quarter financial results on July 30, reporting that ethanol production volumes were down approximately 50 percent when compared to the same period of 2019. Renewable diesel sales volumes, however, were up.
ADM confirmed on July 30 that two of its dry mill ethanol plants remain idle. The company is taking a data-driven approach to determining a restart date for those plants, and said a strategic review of ADM's ethanol business is ongoing.
U.S. ethanol production was up approximately 5.5 percent the week ending July 24, while weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol increased by about 2.4 percent, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on July 29.
The USDA recently released its Grain Crushings and Co-Products Production report for July, reporting that corn use for ethanol production was at 300 million bushels in May, up from the previous month, but down from May 2019.
Pacific Ethanol Inc. is expanding its production capacity of USP grade high quality alcohol at its Pekin, Illinois, facility by 30 million gallons per year. The new capacity will be online in the fourth quarter of 2020.
An annual biofuels report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network discusses the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have on biofuel use and production in the European Union.
U.S. ethanol production was down approximately 2.5 percent the week ending July 17, while weekly ending stocks of fuel ethanol fell by nearly 4 percent, according to data released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration on July 22.
Whitefox Technologies has announced that Southwest Iowa Renewable Fuels has surpassed 250 days of operation of its Whitefox ICE membrane dehydration system at its ethanol plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Green Plains Inc. on July 16 announced its subsidiary, Green Plains Wood River LLC, has installed a separate 25 million gallon facility engineered and constructed by ICM Inc. to produce FCC Grade alcohol for domestic and export markets.
The U.S. EPA has released updated renewable identification number (RIN) data showing that more than 1.51 billion RINs were generated under the Renewable Fuel Standard in June, bringing total RIN generation for the first half of 2020 to 8.52 billion.
UNICA, the Brazilian sugarcane industry association, recently released data showing overall ethanol sales were down during the second half of June. Ethanol exports, however, were up more than 44 percent.
The COVID-19 crisis has already led to more than $3.4 billion in lost revenues for the U.S. ethanol industry, according to an economic analysis released by the RFA. Pandemic-related damages in 2020 and 2021 could reach nearly $9 billion.
The U.S. EPA has approved an efficient producer pathway under the Renewable Fuel Standard for Poet Biorefining – Shelbyville, an 80 MMgy corn ethanol plant under construction in Shelbyville, Indiana.
BBI International has announced that the 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, the ethanol industry's largest conference, has been moved and will be virtual, due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The event will now take place Sept. 15-17.
High-protein technologies are transforming the ethanol industry's feed coproduct stream. Success will require more involvement in markets and closer relationships with end users. For those willing to put the time in, the payback could be significant.
A year after bringing their showcase plant online, the partnership between ICM Inc. and The Andersons remains poised to bear fruit. Element LLC features selective milling and fiber separation alongside a unique corn fiber-to-ethanol platform.
A five-acre parcel of underutilized farmland across the highway from Trenton Agri Products will soon become a model pollinator habitat in Nebraska. The project is a result of an idea planted with Renewable Fuels Association board members last year.
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