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Setor de captura de carbono pede regulação do mercado

  • Spanish Market: Biofuels, Crude oil
  • 09/10/23

Participantes do mercado de captura e armazenamento de carbono (CCS, na sigla em inglês) pedem um marco regulatório claro para tornar o mercado comercialmente viável.

O governo federal deve traçar uma visão estratégica para que o CCS possa ajudar a descarbonizar o setor industrial do país e, consequentemente, contribuir para a meta de zerar as emissões de CO2 até 2050, de acordo com participantes do mercado. Um projeto de lei está tramitando em Brasília.

"Para termos resultados no futuro, precisamos de segurança jurídica", disse Heloisa Esteves, diretora de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis na Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE), em uma conferência do setor, na semana passada, em São Paulo.

O projeto de lei que visa criar um mercado regulado de carbono prevê que empresas com emissões acima de 10.000t de CO2e/ano relatem reduções ao Sistema Brasileiro de Comércio de Emissões (SBCE). O texto foi aprovado, recentemente, pela Comissão de Meio Ambiente do Senado, e agora precisa ser encaminhado ao Congresso.

Se aprovada, a legislação teria papel semelhante à Política Nacional de Biocombustíveis (Renovabio) na formalização do mercado de créditos de descarbonização (Cbios), disse Alexandre Calmon, advogado especializado no setor de energia. "O Renovabio serviu de embrião para o mercado brasileiro de carbono", ele afirmou à Argus.

Outros participantes do evento citaram a importância de implementar rapidamente a regulação para captura e armazenamento de carbono para impulsionar investimentos e pesquisas, à medida que crescem as discussões sobre o assunto. A decisão dos senadores também gerou polêmica ao excluir o setor agrícola de seu escopo.

Em agosto, o Senado aprovou um projeto de lei que atribui a regulação do CCS à Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP). Além de permitir projetos comerciais de armazenamento de carbono no país, o texto cria um sistema de autorização para o setor. A proposta ainda não foi apreciada pelo Congresso.

As expectativas são altas, pois o país pode armazenar e capturar até 190 milhões de t/ano de CO2, de acordo com estudo publicado pela CCS Brasil, um centro de pesquisas especializado no setor. O Brasil poderia gerar até $20 bilhões/ano com projetos de CCS, de acordo com a presidente da organização, Isabela Morbach.

Rota da bioenergia

A indústria brasileira de biocombustíveis também está considerando projetos de captura e armazenamento de carbono pela rota da bioenergia (BECCS, na sigla em inglês), que representa o segundo maior potencial do país para CCS.

A produtora de etanol de milho FS está investindo R$350 milhões em um projeto em sua planta de Lucas do Rio Verde, em Mato Grosso, para gerar etanol carbono negativo, que envolve capturar e armazenar mais CO2 do que é gerado na produção do combustível.

A Uisa, empresa sucroalcooleira da região Centro-Oeste, também anunciou planos de BECCS para injetar carbono proveniente da produção de etanol em sua unidade de Nova Olímpia, também em Mato Grosso.

Grande produtor canavieiro, o estado de São Paulo também estuda novas iniciativas. O coordenador da secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento do estado, Alberto Amorim, disse à Argus que o governo quer investir em CCS por meio do setor sucroalcooleiro.

A Petrobras, que reinjeta gás e CO2 em seus campos de petróleo, também está de olho em soluções renováveis.

"A Petrobras tem interesse em transportar e armazenar carbono por meio de parcerias com outras empresas, que poderiam ser indústrias de bioenergia", contou Savana Fraulob, gerente de Contabilidade e Tributário da estatal, à Argus. "É uma estrutura muito cara. Então, para quem quiser embarcar nessa conosco, estamos, realmente, estudando esta possibilidade."


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06/01/25

Canadian prime minister Trudeau to resign

Canadian prime minister Trudeau to resign

Calgary, 6 January (Argus) — Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he will resign as soon as his Liberal Party selects a new leader to run in general elections expected later this year. Calls for Trudeau to resign have been growing for months but became too much to ignore as the Liberals continued to fall further behind the Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre in polling. Recent polls indicate the centre-right Conservatives would win a majority of seats in the House of Commons if an election were held today. "If I'm having to fight internal battles, I can't be the best option in that election," Trudeau said in Ottawa this morning. Parliament was set to return from a break on 27 January, at which time Conservatives were expected to attempt to trigger an election by way of a no-confidence vote. Canada's governor general — at Trudeau's request — extended the break until 24 March. That break will buy the Liberals time to find a new leader but it will be a tall order for any successor to both unite the party and also connect with Canadians on short notice before an expected spring election. "There will be confidence votes in March," said Trudeau, whose minority government has been propped up by the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP has helped Trudeau survive no-confidence votes in recent months, but on 20 December vowed that it would also bring the government down when it returned to session. Trudeau was elected as a member of parliament (MP) in 2008, leader of the Liberal Party in 2013, and has been prime minister since 2015 after defeating the then Stephen Harper-led Conservatives. There is no obvious replacement for Trudeau after deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned last month , citing "costly political gimmicks," unrestrained spending and being at odds over the approach to the "grave challenge" of aggressive US nationalism. US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened a 25pc tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless they tighten borders to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal migration into the US. Trudeau's plan to resign does not change the Conservative party's plans to call for new elections, Poilievre said today. "Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last nine years," he said. If elected, Poilievre plans to cut a number of environmental programs championed by the Liberals, including the carbon tax. The Conservatives support the continued use of oil and gas, exploration for hydrocarbons, and pipeline construction. The next federal election must occur on or before 25 October this year, according to the electoral calendar. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

S Korea’s SK Energy supplies first SAF cargo to Europe


06/01/25
06/01/25

S Korea’s SK Energy supplies first SAF cargo to Europe

Singapore, 6 January (Argus) — South Korean refiner SK Energy has exported its first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) cargo to Europe, describing itself as the first refinery in the country to do so. The cargo was exported four months after the refiner started commercial co-processing of SAF, SK Energy said today. SK Energy completed a dedicated SAF production line at its 840,000 b/d Ulsan refinery in September 2024. The refiner has established a production capacity of around 80,000 t/yr of SAF and around 20,000 t/yr of other low-carbon products such as bio-naphtha, using bio-feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats with traditional oil production processes. SK Energy works with its affiliate SK On Trading International to secure waste-based raw material as feedstock. It is one of three South Korean refineries which are producing SAF through co-processing, with the other two being S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank. A fourth refiner GS Caltex has not announced plans to produce SAF, but is likely studying options including co-processing. It previously supplied around 5,000 kilolitres of SAF to Japan's Narita airport via Japanese trading firm Itochu on 13 September 2024. South Korea plans to require all international flights departing from its airports to use a mix of 1pc SAF from 2027 , with a target for the country to capture 30pc of the global blended SAF export market, it announced in August 2024. It remains unclear if co-processed SAF will be allowed to meet the country's mandate, but some South Korean refineries are optimistic. The country also said in August it planned to establish a national standard, certification and testing method for SAF beginning in December 2024, but no updates have surfaced as of 6 January 2025. By Deborah Sun Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US crude output at record 13.46mn b/d in Oct: EIA


03/01/25
03/01/25

US crude output at record 13.46mn b/d in Oct: EIA

Calgary, 3 January (Argus) — US crude production rose to a record 13.46mn b/d in October on sustained strength in Texas and New Mexico, according to the EIA's latest Petroleum Supply Monthly report. Output rose from 13.2mn b/d in September and 13.15mn b/d in October 2023, and pushed past the previous record of 13.36mn b/d set in August. Texas pumped a record 5.86mn b/d, up from 5.8mn b/d in September and 5.57mn b/d a year earlier, while New Mexico produced 2.08mn b/d, down slightly from record highs in August and September, but up from 1.8mn b/d in October 2023. Gulf of Mexico output rebounded to 1.85mn b/d from a hurricane-affected 1.57mn b/d in September, but was down from 1.94mn b/d a year earlier. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US Congress begins with focus on energy, taxes


03/01/25
03/01/25

US Congress begins with focus on energy, taxes

Some Republicans worry that their razor-thin House majority could soon see their caucus fractured, writes Chris Knight Washington, 3 January (Argus) — The new Republican majority in US Congress has set its sights on passing legislation to grow energy production, unwind climate policies and cut trillions of dollars in taxes, but doing so will require the party to overcome its history of infighting. That disharmony was on display last month, when Republicans in the House of Representatives nearly forced a government shutdown by scuttling a spending deal negotiated by their own leaders. Similar dynamics have been at play for the past two years, as rifts over how to govern made it difficult for House Republican leaders to use a tiny majority to extract policy concessions during negotiations. The first test of party unity in the 119th Congress — sworn in on 3 January — will come as House Republicans vote on whether to re-elect Mike Johnson as speaker with an even smaller majority than last year. Johnson can only afford to lose a handful of votes, assuming all Democrats vote against him, before Republicans risk a repeat of 2023, when far-right members ousted the last speaker but could not agree on a replacement for weeks. A lengthy voting impasse could delay the 6 January certification of the election victory of president-elect Donald Trump, who this week endorsed Johnson. Trump campaigned on passing legislation to allow industry to "drill, baby, drill" by increasing federal oil and gas lease sales, removing regulations and unwinding parts of outgoing president Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Among the options are rescinding a fee on methane emissions that started at $900/t, and requiring more oil and gas lease sales in the US Gulf of Mexico. On taxes, Trump has proposed extending $4 trillion in cuts due to expire at the end of 2025, in addition to cutting corporate rates to as low as 15pc from 20pc, rescinding clean energy credits, and putting a 20pc tariff on all imports. Other items on Congress' to-do list include passing legislation to fund the government and raising the statutory limit on federal debt. Republicans also say they want to pass a bill to expedite federal permitting, after a bipartisan effort to do so failed to advance in December. Learning to two-step Republican leaders have floated a two-step plan to pass Trump's legislative agenda that would use "budget reconciliation" — a legislative manoeuvre that will prevent a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, but which limits the bill to provisions that will affect the federal budget. Senate majority leader John Thune, a Republican from Texas, has suggested packaging immigration, border security and energy policy into a first budget bill that would pass early this year. Republicans would then have more time to debate a separate — and far more complex — budget bill that would focus on taxes and spending. But some Republicans, mindful of a slim 220-215 House majority that will temporarily shrink because of upcoming vacancies, worry the two-part strategy could fracture the caucus. Republicans have yet to decide the changes to the IRA, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars of tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing, carbon capture and clean hydrogen. A group of 18 House Republicans last year said they opposed a "full repeal" of the law, which disproportionately benefits districts represented by Republicans. Republicans plan to use their expanded influence to push changes at all levels of government and the work it supports. Incoming Republican chairman of the Senate energy committee John Barrasso has issued a report urging OECD energy watchdog the IEA to revive the inclusion of a "business-as-usual" reference case in its annual World Energy Outlook. Barrasso says the IEA has lost its focus on energy security and instead become a "cheerleader" for the energy transition. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Viewpoint: US sour values poised to maintain support


03/01/25
03/01/25

Viewpoint: US sour values poised to maintain support

Houston, 3 January (Argus) — US sour crude prices are poised to maintain recent highs if increased US Gulf coast refinery runs continue to meet market expectations of a tight market. US Gulf medium sour Mars is averaging a near 30¢/bl premium to the Nymex-quality WTI benchmark for the February US trade month to date, and held a roughly 65¢/bl premium during the January trade month, the highest level since July. January Mars averaged around $2.40/bl below March Ice Brent, marking its narrowest average discount to Ice Brent two months forward since the August trade month. US Gulf sours reached multi-year highs on 18 December supported by tight supply and high demand. Refinery runs have increased with improving margins, tightening the supply of sour crude in the US and further boosting differentials. Refinery runs nationwide rose last week by 39,000 b/d to 17mn b/d but were 89,000 b/d lower than the same week in 2023, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Companies were also heard short-covering US sours in an already tight market, likely exacerbated by end-of-year inventory drawdowns for tax purposes. Recent higher prices follow much lower relative values for Mars starting in the fall when refinery runs fell because of unfavorable margins, maintenance and US Gulf coast hurricane-related outages combined with lower export demand. Mars exports have been limited by competitive Middle Eastern term pricing for shipments to Asia-Pacific and European destinations, despite the continuation of Opec+ production cuts tightening supply. Also, blending has emerged in China for TMX-sourced Canadian heavy crude with light Murban as a Mars replacement . Offshore pipeline maintenance in October also pushed typically Texas-delivered volumes over to the Louisiana Gulf coast, adding pressure to the medium sour crude market in the region. But increased US Gulf refinery demand is leading to higher heavy Canadian crude prices at the US Gulf coast, alongside support from Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline exports and higher US midcontinent refinery demand tightening supply. Western Canadian Select (WCS) Houston averaged around a CMA Nymex -$4.00 for January trade. The January WCS Houston discount to Mars averaged about $4.60/bl but was inside $4/bl for November and December volumes. The higher Canadian crude prices are making it less economical for US refiners to blend heavy low-TAN imports with Permian WTI as a cheaper alternative substitute for Mars or other medium sours. Tax-related end-of-year inventory draw downs had tightened the market heading into the new year, but this was exacerbated by the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) being slated to receive 2.5mn bl of domestic sour crude deliveries in the first three months of 2025 . However, LyondellBasell's plan to begin shutting down its 264,000 b/d Houston, Texas, refinery starting in January and stop refining crude completely by the end of the first quarter will reduce Gulf coast sour demand. Between May and September, the facility imported just under 200,000 b/d on average, with roughly 80pc being Canadian and Colombian sour crudes. Offshore US Gulf production is also expected to increase, which could ease a tight market and weigh on differentials. Chevron brought production from its 75,000 b/d Anchor platform into the Mars system in 2024, while Southern Louisiana Intermediate (SLI) and Texas-delivered SGC and HOOPS flows will receive crude from new facilities in the coming year. But EIA forecasts show total US Gulf production essentially flat from 2023 as new output is offset by natural declines. Other price-influencing factors in the coming year are less certain. Concerns surrounding the potential impact of US president-elect Donald Trump's plan to impose a 25pc tariffs on all imports from Canada and Mexico have bolstered sour crude prices in the US over recent weeks. Additionally, US medium sour crudes have been supported by Opec production cuts, with the recent decision to delay unwinding those cuts yet again, adding to the January value boost. The next Opec and Opec+ meetings are scheduled for 28 May. By Mykah Briscoe and Amanda Smith Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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