Capacity available at Australian grain ports in 2024-25
Australia's largest bulk grain handlers have millions in tonnes of unallocated loading capacity at their port terminals in the October 2024-September 2025 marketing year.
Bulk handlers GrainCorp, Viterra and CBH record at least 3.7mn t of available capacity across 17 port terminals on Australia's east and west coast in 2024-25. Shipping capacity has been stretched in past years, because of record bumper harvests. This led to the expansion of mobile shiploaders to ease bottlenecks at export terminals.
Viterra — which covers the southern states of South Australia and Victoria — indicates available capacity of almost 2.5mn t in 2024-25, of which 540,000t is at its Port Adelaide outer harbour. Available capacity is lower at GrainCorp and CBH, at 400,000t and 870,000t respectively. Additional capacity is available at GrainCorp's Fisherman Islands, Carrington and Port Kembla and Geelong terminals in New South Wales, although exact quantities are not provided.
Spare capacity at CBH terminals in Western Australia (WA) represents just 4pc of the 19.5mn t in total port shipping capacity for 2024-25 and 2pc of total capacity at the Kwinana facility. The Kwinana port has a maximum outloading capacity of 5000 t/hr and ships more than half of WA's total grain production on average each year, according to company data.
Australia is forecast to export 23mn t of wheat and 5.6mn t of barley in the 2024-25 marketing year, according to the US Department of Agriculture. But wheat exports will have to pick up from current levels to meet this target. Australia exported an average of 1.79mn t/month of wheat in the current marketing year to June, according to the Australia Bureau of Statistics. It will have to export at least 1.92mn t/month in 2024-25 to meet the USDA target.
Further difficulty may arise if shipments to China, Australia's primary wheat export destination, slow in 2024-25. Current demand from China has been notably absent compared with the same time last year, according to market participants.
Australia grain port available capacity in 2024-25 | 000t | |
Grain Handler | Port | Capacity |
GrainCorp | Mackay | 1.95 |
Gladstone | 2.05 | |
Fisherman Islands | Available | |
Carrington | Available | |
Port Kembla | Available | |
Geelong | Available | |
Portland | None | |
Viterra | Pt Adelaide (Outer Harbor) | 5.40 |
Pt Adelaide (Inner Harbour) | 3.09 | |
Pt Giles | 3.00 | |
Pt Lincoln | 3.89 | |
Wallaroo | 3.89 | |
Thevenard | 5.40 | |
CBH | Geraldton | 2.70 |
Kwinana | 1.55 | |
Albany | 1.05 | |
Esperance | 3.40 | |
Total | 37.37 | |
Source: Company Data | ||
Capacity of GrainCorp as at 13 August, Viterra as at 12 August and CBH as at 25 July. Viterra capacity subject to restrictions. |
Related news posts
Michigan milk-to-ethanol plant breaks ground
Michigan milk-to-ethanol plant breaks ground
Houston, 8 August (Argus) — A Canada-based milk-to-alcohol provider has begun construction on a Michigan plant designed to produced 2.2mn USG/yr of ethanol using milk byproduct sourced from dairy farms. Through a joint venture with the Michigan Milk Producers Association, Ontario-based Dairy Distillery will produce the biofuel using 14,000 metric tonnes/yr of milk permeate at the plant in Constantine, Michigan, which broke ground on 6 August. The $41mn project was announced last year and is expected to begin ethanol production in early 2025. The plant received $2.5mn in funding from the state of Michigan. Dairy Distillery uses milk permeate to produce vodka in Ontario, marketed at Vodkow. The Michigan plant will be its first to produce ethanol for fuel-use. The company's new footprint in the US will allow it to take advantage of various federal tax credits for biofuels producers laid out in the Inflation Reduction Act. By Payne Williams Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EPA probes US biofuel producers' UCO supplies
EPA probes US biofuel producers' UCO supplies
Houston, 7 August (Argus) — The US Environmental Protection Agency is auditing used cooking oil (UCO) supply chains of domestic renewable fuel producers to verify whether the feedstock qualifies under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Under the RFS, EPA requires renewable fuel producers to submit UCO collection points that are used for biofuels production. Among other inspections, EPA is evaluating those UCO collection locations, the agency said on Wednesday. After the EPA announcement, current-year biomass-based diesel D4 RINs traded as high as 60.5¢/RIN, which was 5.75¢/RIN higher than Tuesday's closing. Activity on renewable feedstocks was minimal on Wednesday, making it harder to gauge market reaction. "These inspections and any follow-up investigations are part of EPA's routine evaluation of compliance with RFS under the Clean Air Act and reflect the agency's commitment to a stable RFS program that strengthens the nation's energy independence, advances low-carbon fuels, and supports agricultural communities," EPA spokesperson Tim Carroll said. The agency could not discuss the number of inspections, facility identities, and dates of the inspections, he said. A coalition of US farm groups recently called on the Biden administration to restrict biofuels produced with foreign feedstocks from qualifying for a new tax credit as US imports of UCO continue to increase . The group argued that the imports are displacing US feedstocks. US lawmakers also asked the administration to provide more visibility on the UCO supply chain and requested clarity from EPA on how they are ensuring that UCO imports are not blended with palm oil. By Jamuna Gautam Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US ethanol exports rise to record in 1H
US ethanol exports rise to record in 1H
Houston, 6 August (Argus) — US ethanol exports climbed to a record high in the first half of the year, driven by strong domestic production and foreign demand. US ethanol exports averaged 125,600 b/d in January-June, up by a third from the same period last year and 2.2pc higher than the previous first-half record set in 2018, according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data going back to 2012. Exports would set a full-year record if the pace is maintained through the end of 2024. US ethanol producers like Green Plains and ADM have said they are confident that robust exports will extend through the end of the year. Robust domestic production has fed the rise in US exports, with output averaging 1.03mn b/d through June, the third highest rate through the first six months behind 2018 and 2019, according to EIA data dating to 2010. January-June output would also rank third on an annualized basis. Low prices for corn, the main feedstock for US ethanol, have incentivized higher production by boosting margins. Front month CBOT corn futures this year have averaged 439¢/bushel, down by nearly a third from 2023, as prices near pre-2021 levels when they averaged less than $4/bushel for six consecutive years. Participants are expecting a record or near-record US corn yield this year, pressuring the domestic corn market. Canada and the UK consistently combine for nearly half of US ethanol exports, with Asian markets emerging as key destinations for US ethanol. Asian markets combined for a 19pc share of US exports in the first half, compared with a 10pc share in the same period a year earlier. US exports to Asia-Pacific in the first half more than doubled from the same period last year to around 24,000 b/d as countries in the region raise ethanol fuel blend rates. India is steadily increasing its fuel ethanol blends, with a goal of 20pc by 2025 , helping nearly double first-half receipts of US ethanol to 13,100 b/d. Exports to the UK have also nearly doubled to 16,300 b/d, as the country can take advantage of favorable trade economics into the rest of Europe in addition to meeting demand from its own fuel blending mandates. US ethanol imports remain relatively small, averaging 183 b/d in the first half, up from 19 b/d in the same period last year. Nearly all undenatured ethanol imports for fuel use arrive from Brazil, with the country's sugarcane-based ethanol used as feedstock at LanzaJet's sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Georgia. US ethanol exports may continue to rise in the coming months and years as the growing SAF market provides new demand pathways for ethanol. By Payne Williams Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australian wheat exports fall in June, barley rises
Australian wheat exports fall in June, barley rises
Sydney, 6 August (Argus) — Australia's wheat exports fell in June because of lower demand in parts of southeast Asia and Yemen, but barley exports rose because of a rebound in Chinese demand. Wheat Wheat exports dropped by 21pc on the month to 1.26mn t in June from May, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Shipments to Vietnam and Malaysia increased on the month, up by 77pc and 62pc respectively, offsetting lower demand from the Philippines and Korea. Volumes shipped to Indonesia fell by 160,000t to 55,000t,while volumes shipped to Yemen fell by 101,000t from May to 55,000t in June. Demand from China remained at low levels of 135,000t in June, mostly unchanged from May and from monthly levels during the October 2023-September 2024 marketing year. Average wheat export to China was approximately 450,000 t/month in October 2023- May 2024. China's current forward buying is limited compared with a year earlier, according to market participants. Barley Barley exports almost doubled on the month to 726,000t in June because Chinese demand rebounded by 277,000t to 530,000t. Vietnam booked its largest monthly barley shipment in the November 2023-October 2024 marketing year at 49,000t. Australia is on track to exceed the US Agricultural department's (USDA) current estimate of 6.9mn t for barley exports for the November 2023-October 2024 marketing year. Australia requires about 215,000 t/month in July-October to meet the USDA target, but the country has been exporting about 755,000 t/month over November 2023-June 2024. By Edward Dunlop Australian wheat and barley exports in June '000t Jun '24 May '24 Jun '23 Oct '23- Jun '24 Oct '22- Jun '23 Wheat Philippines 271.4 333.4 207.5 1,735.5 2,218.8 Korea 151.7 169.0 134.6 966.2 2,264.8 China 135.2 135.5 132.2 3,735.9 6,393.6 Vietnam 127.5 72.1 309.3 985.5 2,375.0 Malaysia 109.0 67.4 88.1 700.6 826.8 Total 1,260.5 1,592.0 2,559.1 16,105.7 25,440.5 Barley China 530.2 252.9 0.0 5,484.3 0.0 Japan 75.6 53.0 155.1 719.8 948.6 Vietnam 49.1 4.5 14.9 138.6 526.6 Mexico 33.0 0.0 33.0 191.4 289.7 Peru 17.0 18.0 0.0 95.8 51.9 Total 725.5 363.7 465.4 6,966.3 5,726.5 Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Note: barley marketing year is November - October but for simplicity this table is October-September to match wheat marketing year Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
![Generic Hero Banner](/_next/image?url=%2F-%2Fmedia%2Fproject%2Fargusmedia%2Fmainsite%2Fimages%2F14-generic-hero-banners%2Fherobanner_1600x530_generic-c.jpg%3Fh%3D530%26iar%3D0%26w%3D1600%26rev%3D8ec86dce0f724687bd325a9a917cffae%26hash%3D9FD39B08C9D84A160C91A3649C40A186&w=3840&q=75)
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more