By Sorrel Moseley-Williams/Herald staff.Although renewable energy sources haven’t hit the mainstream just yet in Argentina, “the biofuels industry is finally coming together,” according to Carlos St. James, president and founder of the Argentine Renewable Energies Chamber (ATEC).

Although biofuels currently supply just one percent of all energy to the domestic market, according to St. James, legislation will require them to provide eight percent by 2016. In addition, the government recently upped the blend of biodiesel with regular diesel from five percent to seven, an important move in a world increasingly reluctant to be fossil fuel-dependent. Leer más »

Molinos, Vicentin and Oleaginosa Moreno Hermanos will invest $350 million to build a soy-processing plant in Argentina, the companies said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The grain-processing plant will be located just north of Rosario, the main agro-industrial hub in Argentina, which is the world’s largest supplier of soymeal and soyoil. Leer más »

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s government is negotiating a plan to reduce diesel imports by making energy companies blend more of the fuel with soy-based biodiesel within the next year, industry sources said on Wednesday.

A new law requiring all diesel to be mixed with 5 percent of the plant-based fuel came into force earlier this year in the South American country, the fourth-biggest global biodiesel producer and top supplier of soybean oil. Leer más »

ACCORDING to new market research report, Global Biodiesel Market (2009 – 2014), published by MarketsandMarkets, the total global biodiesel market is expected to be worth US$12.6 billion by 2014, out of which the European and Americas market will account for nearly 55.6 per cent and 28.6pc of the total revenues respectively.

The global market is expected to record a CAGR of 7.8% from 2009 to 2014. Leer más »

Bernd Waltermann and Henning Streubel ,  Jakarta.

As Indonesia is today the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO) — a desirable feedstock for biodiesel production — it has the potential to grow into a world biodiesel leader and a model for plantation sustainability.

Biodiesel has the potential to become a significant industry sector in Indonesia, supported by two of its most valuable assets: its oil palm plantations, and more importantly, its people. Indonesia currently produces approximately 20 million tons of CPO per year from 7 million hectares of oil palm plantation, of which approximately 80 percent  is exported.  Leer más »

Update incorporates feedback from five regional consultations and addresses concerns regarding food security, indigenous peoples and biodiversity preservation.

The Inter-American Development Bank has released a new version of its Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, which will enable users to better anticipate the impacts of potential biofuel projects on sensitive issues such as indigenous rights, carbon emissions from land use change, and food security.  Leer más »

Growing imports of cheap Argentine biodiesel into Europe are replacing U.S. imports hit by European Union anti-dumping duties in March, Swiss-German biodiesel producer Biopetrol said on Thursday.

“Increasing amounts of indirectly-subsidized biodiesel have been coming to Europe from Argentina since the second quarter,” Biopetrol said in a statement in a statement on its first half 2009 results. Leer más »

This is the first time that happens. Until november last year U.S. was the main customer. The export prices of biofuel are still low around USD 730 per tonne.

Last april Argentine declared biodiesel exports for 108,573 tonnes by a weighted average price of USD733/t, a value similar to that recorded in march (USD738/t).

Photo: Emilio López King-Archivo Nextfuel Argentina/Biodiesel.com.ar

Altough prices are still the same since last december with almost all Argentine biodiesel plants operating losses, the amount declared in april increased by 27% compared to march 2009 (84.900 tonnes) and is the highest since october 2008, when sales were recorded for 118,901 tons. Leer más »

The Oriental Republic of the Uruguay depends in great measure of external energy sources, at least until they discovered some gas and petroleum locations that could feed the country during almost 100 years. Anyway, it could try to incorporate a bigger load of renewable energy, since it doesn’t participate in the non renewable energy market. Leer más »

The brazilian state company Petrobras considers the possibility to install biodiesel factories in European territory, said the day 23rd the manager of biofuels of the company, Fernando Cunha.Â

Speaking in the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-France, Cunha declared that they already have contacts with French and Spanish companies keeping in view the installation of biodiesel factories that will use brazilian raw material. Leer más »