Japan boosts bioethanol imports in August

: Biofuels, Oil products
20/09/29

Japan increased bioethanol imports in August, compared with no purchases a year earlier, although the Covid-19 outbreak continued to limit transport fuel demand.

Japan imported 43,842 bl of bioethanol in August, all from Brazil, according to the latest data from the country's finance ministry. Imports edged up by 0.3pc from July, with the country's gasoline demand for travel gradually rising.

Japan purchases bioethanol only from Brazil to produce gasoline blendstock ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE). The country's refiners are obligated to use 500,000 kilolitres/yr (8,616 b/d) of bioethanol over five years, starting from the April 2018-March 2019 fiscal year. The target volume represents around 1pc of Japan's current gasoline consumption.

But the country also imports ETBE from the US, taking 777,916 bl in August, down by 21.1pc from a year earlier.

Japan produced 720,078 b/d of gasoline in July, down by 11.9pc on the year, according to the latest data from the Petroleum Association of Japan.

By Nanami Oki

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25/04/24

Water levels delay Tennessee River lock reopening

Houston, 24 April (Argus) — The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will delay the reopening of the Tennessee River's Wilson Lock by three weeks after high floodwater disrupted repair plans. The Wilson Lock is now planned to reopen in mid-June or July, the Corps said this week. The lock's main chamber has been closed since September after severe cracks were found in the structure. The Corps initiated evacuation procedures so personnel and equipment could be removed before any water entered the dewatered lock and ruined repairs after high water appeared too close to the lock's edge. The water did not crest above the temporary barrier the Corps installed to keep water out. Delays at the lock averaged around 10 days as of 24 April, according to the Corps. Barge carriers fees have been in place for each barge that must pass through the auxiliary chamber of the lock since 25 September, when the lock first closed. Restricted barge movement placed upward pressure on fertilizer prices in surrounding areas as well. The lock still requires structural repairs to the main chamber gates, including the replacement of the pintle components, the Corps said. This is the fourth opening delay the Corps have issued for the Wilson Lock, with the prior opening dates being in November , then April and then in June . The Wilson Lock will enter its eighth month of repairs next month. By Meghan Yoyotte and Sneha Kumar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Valero's Mexico fuel import permit reinstated: Update

25/04/24

Valero's Mexico fuel import permit reinstated: Update

Include market comments, details of Valero operations in Mexico. Houston, 24 April (Argus) — Independent US refiner Valero said its permit to import fuel into Mexico has been reinstated after being suspended earlier this month. The temporary suspension was imposed by Mexico's tax authority SAT on 9 April as part of the country's efforts to fight fuel smuggling, Valero said. The suspension was lifted after the company reached out to stakeholders and customs officials in Mexico and was "quickly exonerated of any wrongdoing," Valero said Thursday morning during its first quarter earnings call. Valero on 23 April sent a notice to customers in Mexico saying its import operations had resumed, but the two-week stop disrupted supply in several regions. Some cities, like Irapuato in Guanajuato state northwest of Mexico City, remain without product, according to market sources. "Although this is all unfortunate and created significant supply disruption for our customers, it is part of an effort in Mexico to limit the import of illegal fuel," Valero chief financial officer Gary Simmons said in the earnings call. Fuel smuggling is rampant in Mexico, with illicit fuel sales accounting for up to 30pc of Mexico's 1.2mn b/d of gasoline and diesel demand, according to finance ministry estimates. Most of the illicit supply enters Mexico through mislabeling oil products at the US-Mexico border as petrochemicals, additives or biofuels, which are not subject to excise taxes on diesel and regular gasoline. Earlier this month Mexico stopped the movement of all fuel trucks as part of fight against fuel smuggling. Valero top importer to Mexico Valero is the largest private fuel importer in Mexico, operating an extensive distribution network supported by its refineries in the US Gulf coast and a system of terminals, pipelines, rail routes, truck routes and waterborne logistics. Its fuel sales accounted for 10pc of Mexico's gasoline and diesel demand on 9 April, according to the company. The company imports road fuels by pipeline from its Corpus Christi and Three Rivers refineries in Texas to the 195,000 bl NuStar storage terminal in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. Valero's waterborne fuel deliveries arrive at the 2.1mn bl Sempra terminal in Veracruz, from which it supplies other terminals near Puebla, Mexico City and Guadalajara. Valero stores fuel at four private-sector terminals in Mexico, with over 4mn bl of capacity. The company is also expected to start storing fuel at the new 1.1mn bl OTM maritine terminal in Altamira, Tamaulipas, in the near future. The company operates a network of over 290 retail fuel stations in Mexico and also supplies fuel to other retailers and fuel marketers. In Mexico Valero holds gasoline, diesel and jet fuel import permits valid through 2038. Valero is one of only a handful of private-sector companies with such permits, as Shell, Marathon and ExxonMobil hold permits to import only gasoline and diesel. Private-sector companies started importing fuel into Mexico in 2016 after the market opened to more competition, but under former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, the energy ministry (Sener) cancelled dozens of fuel import permits. By Eunice Bridges and Antonio Gozain Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Valero's Mexico fuel import permit reinstated

25/04/24

Valero's Mexico fuel import permit reinstated

Houston, 24 April (Argus) — Independent US refiner Valero said its permit to import fuel into Mexico has been reinstated after being suspended earlier this month. The temporary suspension was imposed by Mexico's tax authority SAT on 9 April as part of the country's efforts to fight fuel smuggling, Valero said. The suspension was lifted after the company reached out to stakeholders and customs officials in Mexico and was "quickly exonerated of any wrongdoing," Valero said Thursday morning during its first quarter earnings call. Fuel smuggling is a rampant problem in Mexico, with illicit fuel sales accounting for up to 30pc of Mexico's 1.2mn b/d of gasoline and diesel demand, according to finance ministry estimates. Most of the illicit supply enters Mexico through mislabeling oil products at the US-Mexico border as petrochemicals, additives or biofuels, which are not subject to to excise taxes on diesel and regular gasoline. Earlier this month Mexico stopped the movement of all fuel trucks as part of fight against fuel smuggling. In Mexico,Valero holds gasoline, diesel and jet fuel import permits valid through 2038. Valero is one of only a handful of private-sector companies with such permits. Shell, Marathon and ExxonMobil hold permits to import only gasoline and diesel. Valero is the largest private fuel importer in Mexico. On 9 April, its sales accounted for 10pc of Mexico's gasoline and diesel demand, according to the company. Private-sector companies started importing fuel into Mexico in 2016 after the market opened to more competition, but under former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration, the energy ministry (Sener) cancelled dozens of fuel import permits. By Eunice Bridges Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Eni cuts capex on macro headwinds, tariff uncertainty

25/04/24

Eni cuts capex on macro headwinds, tariff uncertainty

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Taiwan’s CPC buys Vincent crude ahead of CDU turnaround

25/04/24

Taiwan’s CPC buys Vincent crude ahead of CDU turnaround

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