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Cargill plans Indonesian sustainable palm oil refinery

  • Market: Agriculture, Biofuels
  • 04/06/21

Trading company Cargill has started building a dedicated sustainable palm oil refinery in Indonesia's Lampung province in southern Sumatra, which it plans to complete in late 2022.

The firm will invest $200mn in the plant but cannot specify capacity at this stage.

The plant will accept certified sustainable crude palm oil and process according to Cargill's sustainable palm oil policy. This will allow it to guarantee deforestation-free products throughout the entire palm oil supply chain and better cater to traceability demands of buyers in North American and European markets.

Long-running concerns about sustainability of palm oil cultivation have been heating up in Europe during the last year, with France, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany already or soon banning the use of palm oil-based biofuels in their markets, ahead of an EU-wide phase-out by 2030.

The US has also prohibited palm oil imports from two Malaysian companies on allegations of human rights abuses on plantations.

"This project is a key step for Cargill to increase the availability of sustainably sourced and produced edible oil ingredients for our customers," said Cargill Asia-Pacific president Robert Aspell.


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21/11/24

Cop: EU, four countries commit to 1.5°C climate plans

Cop: EU, four countries commit to 1.5°C climate plans

Baku, 21 November (Argus) — The EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland have committed to submit new national climate plans setting out "steep emission cuts", that are consistent with the global 1.5°C temperature increase limit sought by the Paris Agreement. The EU and four countries made the pledge at the UN Cop 29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan today, and called on other nations to follow suit — particularly major economies. Countries are due to submit new climate plans — known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — covering 2035 goals to the UN climate body the UNFCCC by early next year. The EU, Canada, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland have not yet submitted their plans, but they will be aligned with a 1.5°C pathway, EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said today. The Paris climate agreement seeks to limit the global rise in temperature to "well below" 2°C and preferably to 1.5°C. Canada's NDC is being considered by the country's cabinet and will be submitted by the 10 February deadline, Canadian ambassador for climate change Catherine Stewart said today. Switzerland's new NDC will also be submitted by the deadline, the country's representative confirmed. Pamana's special representative for climate change Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez also joined the press conference today. Panama, which is designated as carbon negative, submitted an updated NDC in June. It is planning to submit a nature pledge, Monterrey Gomez said. "It is time to streamline processes to get to real action", he added. The UK also backed the pledge. The UK announced an ambitious emissions reduction target last week. The UAE — which hosted Cop 28 last year — released a new NDC just ahead of Cop 29, while Brazil, host of next year's Cop 30, released its new NDC on 13 November during the summit. Thailand yesterday at Cop 29 communicated a new emissions reduction target . Indonesia last week said that it intends to submit its updated NDC ahead of the February deadline, with a plan placing a ceiling on emissions and covering all greenhouse gases as well as including the oil and gas sector. Colombia also indicated that its new climate plan will seek to address fossil fuels, but it will submit its NDC by June next year . By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant


20/11/24
News
20/11/24

Graphjet launches Malaysian biomass-to-graphite plant

Singapore, 20 November (Argus) — Nasdaq-listed Graphjet Technology has started operations at its artificial graphite plant in Malaysia, which will produce battery-grade graphite using recycled palm kernel shells (PKS), the firm said on 19 November. Graphjet's facility has the capacity to produce 3,000 t/yr of graphite by recycling up to 9,000 t/yr of PKS, which is sufficient to produce batteries for 40,000 electric vehicles (EVs)/yr. The firm has already received its first shipment of PKS, it said. Graphjet has another artificial graphite production facility planned in US' Nevada, and it plans to produce hard carbon at the Malaysian facility to use as feedstock at the Nevada facility. The Nevada facility is expected to have the capacity to recycle 30,000 t/yr of PKS to produce 10,000 t/yr of battery-grade artificial graphite and is slated to begin production in 2026, said Graphjet in April. China, the dominant producer of graphite, added a number of graphite products into its export licensing scheme at the end of last year. The move back then alarmed its neighbours, Japan and South Korea , which are major battery-producing countries and they have since been looking to reduce their dependency on Chinese graphite. China's graphite flake exports fell by 23pc to 44,103t during January-September following the exports curb, according to Chinese customs data. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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US, Norway give $110mn to Brazil Amazon Fund


18/11/24
News
18/11/24

US, Norway give $110mn to Brazil Amazon Fund

Rio de Janeiro, 18 November (Argus) — The US and Norway will contribute a combined $110mn to Brazil's Amazon Fund to reduce emissions from deforestation and promote sustainable forest management. President Joe Biden announced the US' $50mn contribution to the fund from the Amazonian city of Manaus on Sunday. He is the first sitting US president to visit the Amazon rainforest. This adds to the $50mn disbursed by the US to the fund earlier this year, Biden said. Norway will contribute $60mn, citing a 31pc decrease in Amazon deforestation achieved from August 2023-July 2024. "Brazil's success in reducing deforestation is clear proof of the ambitions and determination of the Lula government," Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Store said from Rio de Janeiro. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged zero deforestation by 2030. Norway was the first country to contribute to the Amazon Fund, which was set up during Lula's first term in 2008. It was suspended in 2019 during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro, a climate skeptic, and reinstated when Lula returned to power in 2023. Projects worth a record R882mn ($151.6mn) have been approved so far this year according to Brazil's Bndes development bank, which manages the Fund. By Constance Malleret Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Neste to supply renewable chemical feedstock to PCS


18/11/24
News
18/11/24

Neste to supply renewable chemical feedstock to PCS

London, 18 November (Argus) — Finland's Neste will supply Singapore-based chemicals company PCS with renewable material feedstock for production of plastics. The Neste RE material will be supplied to PCS for use at a site on Jurong Island, Singapore. Neste RE is based on waste products including used cooking oil (UCO) or waste residues from vegetable oil processing. PCS produces ethylene, propylene and butadiene for consumers across Asia-Pacific. The first deliveries from PCS will include butadiene, the company said. Initial buyers include Mitsubishi, Toray Plastics in Malaysia and Synthomer. Neste previously said beverage maker Suntory will produce PET bottles derived from bio-paraxylene converted from bio-naphtha by the Finnish refiner. By George Barsted Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Adv Fame marine blend premiums to fossil hit year lows


15/11/24
News
15/11/24

Adv Fame marine blend premiums to fossil hit year lows

London, 15 November (Argus) — The premiums of advanced fatty acid methyl ester (Fame) 0 ARA marine biodiesel blends to fossil fuel counterparts were marked at 2024 lows on 14 November, according to Argus assessments. Calculated B30 Advanced Fame 0 dob ARA prices fell by $31.54/t to $623.25/t, the lowest since March 2023. Calculated B100 Advanced Fame 0 dob ARA values tumbled by $102.77/t to just over $820/t, their lowest since 22 November last year. Consequently, the outright premium held by the B30 blend against very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) dob ARA narrowed by $30.54/t on the day to $123.25/t on 14 November — its narrowest since 29 December 2023. B100 held a $158.52/t premium to marine gasoil (MGO) dob ARA, down by $106.77/t on the day and its lowest premium this year. EU emissions trading system (ETS) prices were assessed at $71.79/t on 14 November. Accounting for EU ETS costs on the same day, ETS-inclusive premiums held by Advanced Fame blends against their fossil counterparts hit their lowest since the introduction of EU ETS into maritime at the turn of the year. B30 Advanced Fame 0's ETS-incorporated premium against VLSFO narrowed by $31.27/t to $96.11/t on the day to 14 November. B100 Advanced Fame 0's premium against MGO dropped by $109.28/t to $66.45/t when ETS costs were accounted for. Advanced Fame marine biodiesel blend values declined with thin spot demand owing to a shift in voluntary demand east of Suez. As a result, containerships seeking to deliver proof of sustainability (PoS) documentation to their customers, to offset the latter's scope 3 emissions, shifted their marine biodiesel demand to Singapore when feasible. PoS can be obtained on a mass-balance system, allowing shipowners flexibility with regards to the port at which a blend can be bunkered. Lacklustre demand for the blends was complimented by soaring values for Dutch renewable tickets. The calculated Advanced Fame dob ARA range prices incorporate a deduction for HBE-Gs. These are a class of Dutch renewable fuels units, or HBEs, used by companies that bring liquid or gaseous fossil fuels into general circulation and are obligated to pay excise duty/energy tax on fuels. Dutch renewable HBE-G tickets were marked at €22/GJ on 14 November, their highest since Argus assessments began. Soaring HBE-G values were attributed](https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2628738) to gains in European hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) prices, tight supply because of a decline in tickets from biofuels used in shipping and less overall biofuel blending in the fourth quarter. By Hussein Al-Khalisy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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