The German government and the EU Commission reached agreement on the inclusion of internal combustion engines fueled by CO2-neutral fuels—eFuels—late Friday evening. The agreement clears the way for the adoption of the 100% zero emissions limits for 2035. (Earlier post.) Early in March, Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker... Read more →

A study by MathPro Inc., prepared for the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), has found that hydrotreating is an inexpensive approach to produce near-zero naphthalenes petroleum jet fuel (PJF) for contrail abatement. The report estimates an incremental cost of 0.09 to 0.12 USD/gallon (~€0.03/L) to hydrotreat fossil jet fuel... Read more →

In February, API’s industry data showed petroleum demand of 19.8 million barrels per day (Mb/d) at its second highest for the month since 2020, a rebound in oil production and record level exports, with reductions in inventories and domestic refining activities when compared to January 2023. The monthly growth in... Read more →

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached provisional political agreement on green shipping fuels regulations. The main objective of the FuelEU Maritime initiative, as a key part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, is to increase the demand for and consistent use of renewable and low-carbon... Read more →

The Department of Energy announced $14 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002946) to support and to optimize the production of affordable biofuels and biochemicals while significantly reducing carbon emissions. The Topic Areas in the 2023 Conversion Research and Development (R&D) funding opportunity seek to address the following R&D needs: R&D on gasification... Read more →

ExxonMobil recently announced the successful startup of its Beaumont refinery expansion project, which adds 250,000 barrels per day of capacity to one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes along the US Gulf Coast. (Earlier post.) Supported by the company’s growing crude production in the Permian Basin, the project is... Read more →

Fusion Fuel has been awarded €3.6 million in grant funding through Component 5 (‘C-5’) of Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan to develop a 1 MW decentralized green hydrogen production facility co-located with a hydrogen refueling station in Elvas, Portugal. Fusion Fuel had previously been awarded €36 million in C-5 funding... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award $590 million to renew its four existing Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs). This funding will help support the Department’s research into the next generation of sustainable, cost-effective bioproducts and bioenergy from domestic biomass resources. Each of the four centers, led by a National... Read more →

JetBlue and Shell Aviation are collaborating to bring additional supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), targeting commencement of delivery in the first half of 2023. Within the terms of the agreement, JetBlue is expected to take delivery of 10,000,000 gallons of blended SAF at... Read more →

Viridos (founded as Synthetic Genomics (SGI) in 2005) (earlier post) has raised a $25-million Series A equity investment. The Series A was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) and joined by Chevron USA . and United Airlines Ventures. The funding will be used for R&D to further increase algae oil... Read more →

Eni Sustainable Mobility and the Spinelli Group, a leader in the field of integrated logistics, have signed a two-year contract to power the group’s fleet with HVOlution, a diesel fuel produced from 100% renewable raw materials. The Spinelli Group’s fleet includes more than 300 heavy-duty vehicles, of which 150 are... Read more →

eFuels company HIF Global (earlier post) and Siemens Energy reached an agreement under which Siemens Energy will supply electrolyzers to the HIF Matagorda eFuels Facility. HIF and Siemens Energy are engaged in front end engineering and design for 1.8 GW of Silyzer 300 polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers that will... Read more →

ClearFlame Engine Technologies has raised $30 million in Series B funding to bring to market innovative solutions that power heavy-duty engines with clean, renewable fuels and create a viable business solution to reduce carbon and soot. ClearFlame’s solution elevates combustion temperatures in order to enable use of non-traditional fuels that... Read more →

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. and HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. (HJSC) have respectively ordered seven and two MAN B&W G80ME-LGIM dual-fuel engines in connection with the construction of 9 × 9,000 TEU container vessels for HMM Co., the major South Korean integrated-logistics company. The engines, which are capable of... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems is collaborating with a global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to evaluate the performance, efficiency and emissions of the OEM’s engine equipped with Westport’s H2 HPDI fuel system. This collaboration marks Westport’s third major OEM engagement evaluating its H2 HPDI fuel system to date. Funded by the OEM,... Read more →

Methanex Corporation and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) announced that the dual-fuel methanol carrier Cajun Sun successfully completed the first net-zero voyage fueled by bio-methanol. The voyage is an example of how Methanex and MOL are collaborating to demonstrate the viability of methanol as a marine fuel with a pathway to... Read more →

Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker Wissing has called on the European Commission to enable the use of e-fuels in order to achieve the climate goals. More specifically, Wissing said that Germany would not agree to the proposed compromise between the EU Commission, the Council of Ministers and the... Read more →

Aramco has signed a letter of intent to become a potential minority stakeholder in a new powertrain technology company (PWT), to be established by Geely Holding Group, Geely Automobile Holdings Limited—collectively referred to as “Geely”—and Renault Group. The new company will be dedicated to internal combustion and hybrid powertrain technologies.... Read more →

Strategic Biofuels has selected Johnson Matthey’s (JM’s) Fischer Tropsch (FT) CANS technology—co-developed with bp—for its Louisiana Green Fuels project (LGF) in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana. Located on a 327-acre site at the Port of Columbia, the LGF plant plans to convert 1 million tons of forestry waste feedstock into cleaner-burning renewable... Read more →

Bell Textron announced that the Bell 505 completed its first flight fueled solely by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marking the first single-engine helicopter to fly with 100% SAF. Bell collaborated with Safran Helicopter Engines, Neste, GKN Aerospace and Virent to make this Bell 505 flight possible. To achieve this... Read more →

SK Inc. Materials and ExxonMobil signed a Heads of Agreement (HOA) for SK Inc. Materials to pursue the offtake of blue ammonia from ExxonMobil’s planned low-carbon hydrogen project at its integrated complex in Baytown, Texas. SK seeks to import blue ammonia produced from ExxonMobil to South Korea in support of... Read more →

In January 2023, state taxes and fees on gasoline and diesel fuel averaged $0.3163 per gallon (gal) of gasoline and $0.3388/gal of diesel fuel, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). These taxes have increased in 13 states since July 2022. Data source: US Energy Information Administration, federal and... Read more →

United has launched the United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, an investment vehicle designed to support start-ups focused on decarbonizing air travel by accelerating the research, production and technologies associated with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fund starts with more than $100 million in investments from United and its inaugural... Read more →

Sasol and Topsoe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intent to establish a 50/50 Joint Venture (JV) in 2023 to develop sustainable aviation fuel solutions (SAF). The JV will develop, build, own, and operate ventures producing SAF based on Sasol’s Fischer Tropsch technology and Topsoe’s relevant SAF... Read more →

Indian Oil Corporation, India’s leading energy major, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with LanzaJet to explore the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production in India. The MOU between LanzaJet and IndianOil establishes a partnership to pursue large capacity SAF production in India using LanzaJet’s proven Alcohol-to-Jet... Read more →

LanzaTech Global, and the Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company (Tadweer), the leading entity responsible for the development of waste management services in Abu Dhabi and a main key player that supports the adoption of the Emirate’s circular economy, will collaborate to explore business opportunities to develop a large-scale conversion plant... Read more →

The North American recreational boating industry showcased three sustainable marine fuels during an opening day event at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show. Sustainable marine fuels minimize CO2 emissions from recreational boating while maintaining boats’ range and performance. They are compatible with existing recreational boats, requiring no changes to... Read more →

ULEMCo has been awarded a major fleet-wide contract by Aberdeen City Council (ACC) for its hydrogen dual-fuel utility vehicle conversions. (Earlier post.) The contract, initially for 35 vehicles, is a strong signal of commitment to a hydrogen-based strategy, and will see the Council operating the largest fleet of hydrogen vehicles... Read more →

Cummins will launch the next engine in the fuel-agnostic series, the X10, in North America in 2026. This engine, named as part of the X engine family, is positioned to replace both the L9 and the X12 with the versatility to serve both medium- and heavy-duty applications. It will be... Read more →

Neste and Scania are piloting a digital solution that enables easy follow-up and verification of each truck’s usage of renewable fuels. Combining data from Scania Fleet Management Portal enriched with Neste’s fuel emission data, the solution provides Scania’s fleet management customers with accurate, up-to-date data for their greenhouse gas emissions... Read more →

The US Department of Energy announced $25.5 million in funding to enable the sustainable use of domestic biomass and waste resources, such as agricultural residues and algae, to produce low-carbon biofuels and bioproducts. The “Reducing Agricultural Carbon Intensity and Protecting Algal Crops” funding opportunity (RACIPAC) (DE-FOA-0002910) will improve the production... Read more →

bp says that it will invest more in the energy transition and bp’s own transition, with up to $8 billion more slated for transition growth engines (TGEs) by 2030. These include higher-return bioenergy, and convenience & EV charging; and focusing hydrogen and renewables & power where bp can leverage integration.... Read more →

Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo and Green Earth Institute agreed to begin trilateral consideration of the first commercial production of cellulosic bioethanol from woody biomass in Japan and its development into bio-chemical products. Bioethanol is currently attracting attention as a renewable energy source and as feedstock for biofuels such as SAF... Read more →

HYVIA, a joint venture equally owned by Renault and Plug (earlier post), and HYSETCO, a developer of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure network in France, are developing a new cooperation which aims to: Improve the customer experience of HYVIA light commercial vehicles users in the public hydrogen refueling stations of the... Read more →

US production capacity for renewable diesel could more than double from current levels by the end of 2025, based on several announcements for projects that are either under construction or could start development soon, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA estimates US renewable diesel production capacity was... Read more →

Swiss marine power company WinGD and Belgian shipping and cleantech group CMB.TECH have signed an agreement on the development of ammonia-fueled two-stroke engines. The companies aim to install the ammonia dual-fuel X72DF engine on a series of ten x 210,000 DWT bulk carriers to be built at a Chinese shipyard... Read more →

Using blends of hydrogen and methane as fuels in internal combustion engines is a promising strategy for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. However, the undesirable phenomenon of super-knock, which can severely and instantaneously damage an SI engine, limits its widespread adoption. Unlike normal knock, super-knock is caused by a detonation wave... Read more →

United Airlines, Tallgrass, and Green Plains announced a new joint venture—Blue Blade Energy—to develop and then commercialize a novel Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) technology that uses ethanol as its feedstock. United, Tallgrass, and Green Plains will invest up to a combined $50 million in the joint venture. United has entered... Read more →

Emirates has operated a demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines 100% with Neste’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The flight took off on 30 January from Dubai International Airport (DXB) flying for more than one hour over the Dubai coastline. It is the first demonstration flight... Read more →

The consortium of Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, TotalEnergies, Siemens Energy and Marubeni announced that the Masdar-led initiative focused on green hydrogen to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is actively working with licensors to certify a new production pathway for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from methanol. This novel pathway will provide one... Read more →

Topsoe and Steeper Energy, a developer of biomass conversion technologies, signed a global licensing agreement for a complete waste-to-fuel solution. The agreement combines Topsoe’s technologies in renewable fuels and hydrogen production as well as decades of experience in engineering with Steeper’s proprietary Hydrofaction technology and industry know-how. With the agreement,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award some $118 million in funding for 17 projects to accelerate the production of sustainable biofuels. Made from widely available domestic feedstocks and advanced refining technologies, energy-dense biofuels provide a pathway for low-carbon fuels that can lower greenhouse gas emissions throughout the transportation... Read more →

ExxonMobil’s majority-owned affiliate Imperial Oil will invest about $720 million (US$560 million) to move forward with construction of the largest renewable diesel facility in the country. (Earlier post.) The project at Imperial’s Strathcona refinery near Edmonton is expected to produce more than one billion liters of renewable diesel annually—about 20,000... Read more →

University of Queensland researchers, working in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), have found a way to convert sugarcane into isobutanol— a building block of aviation fuel and other products—more efficiently. An open-access paper on the work is published in Chemistry - a European Journal. Enzymatic cascade to... Read more →

Amogy Inc., a developer of ammonia power solutions, announced the successful testing of the first ammonia-powered, zero-emission semi truck. After integrating its technology into a 5 kW drone in July 2021 and 100kW John Deere tractor in May 2022, Amogy has scaled its ammonia-to-power technology to 300 kW. Following an... Read more →

Chartwell Marine has won a £320k Innovate UK Smart Grant. The grant will enable Chartwell and consortium partners—Boat Electric & Electronics and Engineered Marine Systems—to develop and test the feasibility of a market-first methanol-fuelled vessel design, with applications in the offshore wind, commercial workboat and leisure sectors. Methanol fuel presents... Read more →

Raven SR signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to All Nippon Airways (ANA) and to Japan Airlines (JAL) for major global routes. Each MOU provides for an initial 50,000 tons of SAF supply in the first year, 2025, with annual incremental increases to 200,000 tons... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a two-year, $650,000-contract from the US Department of Transportation to study the risks posed by gases dissolved in hazardous liquids during transport. The federal government has well-defined quantitative criteria and regulations for distinguishing hazardous liquids and gases as well as how and in... Read more →

Raven SR, a renewable fuels company; Chevron New Energies, a division of Chevron USA; and Hyzon Motors are collaborating to commercialize operations of a green waste-to-hydrogen production facility in Richmond intended to supply hydrogen fuel to transportation markets in Northern California. The facility will be owned by a newly formed... Read more →

Tecnimont Private Limited, Indian subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTPC, India’s largest power generation company. The objective of the MOU is jointly to evaluate and explore the possibility to develop commercial-scale green methanol production facilities at NTPC projects in India. The... Read more →