California pares LCFS goals to tougher targets: Update
Updates trade discussion, adds links to other coverage.
California will pursue transportation fuel carbon reduction targets in 2025 nearly twice as tough as originally proposed under final Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) rulemaking language released late Monday.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will consider a one-time tightening of annual targets for gasoline and diesel by 9pc in 2025, compared with the usual 1.25pc annual reduction and a 5pc stepdown first proposed in December 2023. Staff maintained a 30pc reduction target for 2030, compared to the current 20pc target.
Final rulemaking language introduced a new 20pc/yr cap on a company's credit generation from soybean- and canola-oil-based biodiesel or renewable diesel to begin in 2028. The updated rule also dropped proposals to require carbon reductions from jet fuel in addition to gasoline and diesel, a controversial proposal aligned with governor Gavin Newsom's (D) ambitions for lower-carbon air travel but which participants warned would not achieve its targets.
The new proposal immediately jolted a lethargic credit market that earlier this year slumped to the lowest spot price in nearly a decade under the weight of growing credit supplies. Current quarter trade raced higher by $12.50 — 26pc — in rare after-hours activity less than two hours after CARB staff published the latest documents. Trade continued up to $65/t in the first half of Tuesday's session before retreating in later hours back below $60/t.
Public comment on the proposals will continue to 27 August ahead of a planned 8 November public hearing and potential board vote. The program changes could be in place by the end of the first quarter of 2025, according to staff.
LCFS programs require yearly reductions to transportation fuel carbon intensity. Higher-carbon fuels that exceed these annual limits incur deficits that suppliers must offset with credits generated from the distribution to the market of approved, lower-carbon alternatives.
Surging use of renewable diesel and outsized credit generation from renewable natural gas have overwhelmed deficit generation to create a glut of credits available for future compliance. LCFS credits do not expire, and 26.1mn metric tonnes of credits — higher by 16pc than all the new deficits generated in 2023 — were available for future compliance by the end of March.
Credits fell in May to trade at $40/t, the lowest level for current quarter credits since June 2015.
California late last year formally proposed tougher annual targets, off-ramps for certain fuels and other changes to North America's largest and oldest LCFS program. Staff had initially targeted March to put ideas including a one-time, 5pc reduction to targets in 2025 and automatic mechanisms to match targets to credit and deficit generation before the board for formal approval, but they delayed that meeting after receiving hundreds of distinct comments on the original proposal.
Staff shifted the 2025 target to at least 7pc after an April workshop discussion and another record-breaking quarter of increases in credits available for future compliance. The 9pc recommendation followed the continued growth of credit supplies in recent quarters. Previous modeling estimated that such a target could draw down the credit bank by 8.2mn t in its first year. Uncertainty over how fuel suppliers and consumers would respond to that target led staff to leave in place the proposed 30pc target by 2030.
An outright cap on credits generated from soybean- or canola-oil derived biomass-based diesels augments initially proposed "guard rails" on crop-based credit generation through verification. The change would send a stronger market signal preferring waste-based feedstocks for diesel fuels that California expects to replace with zero-emission alternatives, staff said.
And staff dropped a proposed obligation on jet fuel used in intrastate flights, estimated to make up 10pc of California's jet fuel consumption. Participants had warned the measure would stoke more credit purchases than renewable jet fuel buying, due to the structure of the aviation fuel market.
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California narrows LCFS goals to tougher targets
California narrows LCFS goals to tougher targets
Houston, 13 August (Argus) — California will pursue transportation fuel carbon reduction targets in 2025 nearly twice as tough as originally proposed under final Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) rulemaking language released late Monday. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) will consider a one-time tightening of annual targets for gasoline and diesel by 9pc in 2025, compared with the usual 1.25pc annual reduction and a 5pc stepdown first proposed in December 2023. Final rulemaking language introduced a new 20pc/yr cap on a company's credit generation from soybean- and canola-oil-based biodiesel or renewable diesel to begin in 2028. The updated rule also dropped proposals to require carbon reductions from jet fuel in addition to gasoline and diesel, a controversial proposal aligned with governor Gavin Newsom's (D) ambitions for lower-carbon air travel but which participants warned would not achieve its targets. The new proposal immediately jolted a lethargic credit market that earlier this year slumped to the lowest spot price in nearly a decade under the weight of growing credit supplies. Current quarter trade raced higher by $12.50 — 26pc — in rare after-hours activity less than two hours after CARB staff published the latest documents. Public comment on the proposals will continue to 27 August ahead of a planned 8 November public hearing and potential board vote. The program changes could be in place by the end of the first quarter of 2025, according to staff. LCFS programs require yearly reductions to transportation fuel carbon intensity. Higher-carbon fuels that exceed these annual limits incur deficits that suppliers must offset with credits generated from the distribution to the market of approved, lower-carbon alternatives. Surging use of renewable diesel and outsized credit generation from renewable natural gas have overwhelmed deficit generation to create a glut of credits available for future compliance. LCFS credits do not expire, and 26.1mn metric tonnes of credits — higher by 16pc than all the new deficits generated in 2023 — were available for future compliance by the end of March. Credits fell in May to trade at $40/t, the lowest level for current quarter credits since June 2015. California late last year formally proposed tougher annual targets, off-ramps for certain fuels and other changes to North America's largest and oldest LCFS program. Staff had initially targeted March to put ideas including a one-time, 5pc reduction to targets in 2025 and automatic mechanisms to match targets to credit and deficit generation before the board for formal approval, but they delayed that meeting after receiving hundreds of distinct comments on the original proposal. Staff shifted the 2025 target to at least 7pc after an April workshop discussion and another record-breaking quarter of increases in credits available for future compliance. The 9pc recommendation followed the continued growth of credit supplies in recent quarters. Previous modeling estimated that such a target could draw down the credit bank by 8.2mn t in its first year. Uncertainty over how fuel suppliers and consumers would respond to that target led staff to leave in place the proposed 30pc target by 2030. An outright cap on credits generated from soybean- or canola-oil derived biomass-based diesels replaced initially proposed lighter "guard rails" on crop-based credit generation. The change would send a stronger market signal preferring waste-based feedstocks for diesel fuels that California expects to replace with zero-emission alternatives. And staff dropped a proposed obligation on jet fuel used in intrastate flights, estimated to make up 10pc of California's jet fuel consumption. Participants had warned the measure would stoke more credit purchases than renewable jet fuel buying, due to the structure of the aviation fuel market . By Elliott Blackburn Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China seeks to achieve climate goals with new framework
China seeks to achieve climate goals with new framework
Singapore, 13 August (Argus) — China has announced new guidelines to accelerate the country's energy transition and achieve its decarbonisation goals. Under the guidelines, China expects the scale of its energy conservation and environmental protection industry to reach about 15 trillion yuan ($2.1 trillion) by 2030, according to a statement by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council. The country aims to accelerate progress in carbon emission reduction, resource utilisation and green development by 2030. It targets installed capacity of pumped-storage hydropower to exceed 120mn kW by then, and the carbon emission intensity of commercial transport for each unit of turnover to drop by about 9.5pc compared with 2020. China targets to establish a green, low-carbon circular economy by 2035, with carbon emissions declining after reaching their peak. China aims to hit peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2060. China's installed renewable capacity reached 1.653bn kW as of the end of June, accounting for 53.8pc of total installed capacity, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The country achieved almost double its target for non-fossil power generation additions last year at 300GW, compared with a goal of 160GW, according to state-linked China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute. In the new framework, the target for non-fossil fuels in the country's primary energy consumption remains at 25pc by 2030, unchanged from its 2021 nationally determined contribution (NDC), and up from 15.3pc in 2019. China's 2021 NDC also states that it will lower its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by over 65pc from the 2005 level, and that it will bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2bn kW. The country is expected to submit its 2035 climate targets to the UN early next year, including updates to its pre-existing 2030 targets. The framework targets five main areas. It aims to optimise land space planning for green and low-carbon developments and seeks to accelerate the low-carbon transformation of the industrial sector. This includes the steel, non-ferrous metals and petrochemical industries. It also targets to advance the low-carbon transformation of the energy sector and develop non-fossil fuel energy and promotes the green transformation of the transportation sector. Lastly it aims to advance the green transformation of urban and rural construction, including agricultural developments. Challenges ahead China's green transformation faces significant challenges despite progress, the NDRC said. The country's energy and industrial sectors remain heavily dependent on coal, straining environmental goals, the commission said. Under the latest framework, the country still aims to promote the clean and efficient use of coal and reasonably control the growth of coal consumption during the 14th five-year plan period, but to gradually reduce it in the subsequent five years. The National Energy Administration (NEA), China's energy regulator, expects the percentage of thermal generation capacity to fall to 45pc by the end of 2024, from 47.6pc by the end of 2023. China in July announced plans to explore co-firing renewable ammonia and biomass at its coal-fired plants , as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage. These measures will be applied to a number of projects by 2025. The government also plans to develop a fiscal and taxation policy to promote low-carbon developments under the new guidelines, and aims to implement relevant tax incentives, as well as improve the green tax system. It also aims to bolster financial instruments such as green equity financing, green financial leasing, as well as central budgetary investment to provide support for key projects. The new guidelines did not provide any details on methane cuts. The country has yet to set firm methane-reduction targets although it agreed in November to set goals to cover all greenhouse gases. China, dubbed by the Paris-based IEA as the "clean energy powerhouse," is projected to spend $675bn on clean energy this year alone. Its renewable energy power generation deployment has progressed rapidly , but it remains unclear if this will prompt Beijing to raise its decarbonisation ambitions. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China’s oil demand outlook weakens further: IEA
China’s oil demand outlook weakens further: IEA
The IEA issued updates to its numbers London, 13 August (Argus) — The outlook for China's oil demand growth this year has weakened further, the IEA said today. China's oil demand fell for a third consecutive month in June, with crude oil imports in July hitting their lowest since September 2022 when the country was locked down because of Covid, the Paris-based agency said in its latest Oil Market Report (OMR). China's oil demand is now forecast to grow by 300,000 b/d in 2024, compared with 410,000 b/d in last month's report and well below the 710,000 b/d the IEA had projected in January. For next year, the agency pegs growth at 330,000 b/d, "but with risks skewed to the downside." "Chinese oil demand growth has gone into reverse due to a slowdown in construction and manufacturing, rapidly accelerating deployment of vehicles powered by alternative fuels and comparison to a stronger post-reopening baseline," the IEA said. Lower Chinese consumption data feed into the IEA's narrative that the country's pre-eminence as a source of global demand growth is fading . The IEA's global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 remained unchanged at 970,000 b/d as the downgrade from China was mostly offset by better than expected gasoline consumption in the US. The agency now sees US oil demand growth at 140,000 b/d this year, compared with 70,000 b/d last month. The IEA's demand growth forecast for this year remains well below that of Opec which downgraded its forecast by 140,000 b/d to 2.11mn b/d . Opec sees Chinese oil demand growing by 700,000 b/d this year. For next year, the IEA nudged down its oil demand growth projection by 30,000 b/d to 950,000 b/d, mostly on lower forecast Chinese demand. On global oil supply, the IEA lowered its growth estimate for 2024 by 40,000 b/d to 730,000 b/d. Much bigger growth is forecast next year at 1.95mn b/d, led by gains from the US, Guyana, Canada and Brazil. In terms of supply and demand balances this year, the agency's numbers point to a slightly tighter market than previously thought. It now sees a deficit of 130,000 b/d in 2024, compared with 80,000 b/d in last month's report. The deficit in the second half is seen at 390,000 b/d. The IEA said that after four months of stock builds, global observed oil inventories fell by 26.2mn bl in June and preliminary data showed further draws in July. But the IEA points to an oversupplied market next year, particularly given a plan by some Opec+ members to unwind some of their production cuts from October. But even if those cuts remain in place, the agency says global inventories could build by 860,000 b/d in 2025. By Aydin Calik IEA oil demand and supply balance Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Genesis secures more gas to curb New Zealand shortages
Genesis secures more gas to curb New Zealand shortages
Sydney, 13 August (Argus) — New Zealand upstream firm and utility Genesis Energy has secured emergency gas supplies for its dual gas- and coal-fired Huntly power station on the North Island. Genesis has secured 3.2PJ (86mn m³) of gas to allow the 400MW No.5 unit at Huntly to reach full capacity for the first time this winter, it said on 13 August, describing the electricity grid as facing "unprecedented pressure". An agreement has been reached with Canadian methanol manufacturer Methanex, which will shut its Motunui plants in the North Island's Taranaki province until the end of October to allow for more gas-fired power generation, Genesis said. The commercial arrangements regarding the gas transfer are structured to provide Methanex with a base price for each unit of gas delivered, with further incremental value shared between the parties depending on electricity pricing over the period, it said on 12 August. Methanex's 1.72mn t/yr plant in Motunui has paused production in the past, also diverting feedstock natural gas to support electricity generation in the winter of 2021 . The 953MW Huntly — New Zealand's largest power station by capacity and the country's only coal-fired unit, has been under significant strain as dry, cold conditions have led to increased demand during winter as hydroelectricity inflows remain low. New Zealand has also experienced light winds cutting expected wind-powered generation this winter, with Genesis planning coal imports for the first time since 2022 in response to lower domestic gas output and rapidly falling coal stocks. LNG imports investigated New Zealand energy minister Simeon Brown told parliament on 7 August his administration was investigating two separate options to ease the gas shortfall in the short to medium term. Industry body the Gas Industry Company (GIC) is studying the feasibility of importing LNG, while also considering policies to increase investment in flexible gas-fired generation, Brown said. Data from upstream firms released earlier this year show a significant drop in proven plus probable reserves, falling from 1,635PJ to 1,300PJ, he added. Gas production into open access pipelines was 58.8PJ during January-June, GIC said in its April-June quarterly report, 20pc down on 73.7PJ a year earlier, while gas-fired power demand grew by 10pc against April-June 2023. New Zealand's National Party-led government is aiming to overturn a 2018 ban on new oil and gas exploration with legislation to be introduced to parliament later this year. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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