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RDP Energia investirá em biometano

  • : Agriculture, Biofuels, Natural gas
  • 23/11/22

A distribuidora de combustíveis RDP Energia irá investir R$50 milhões para construir uma usina de biometano no Paraná.

A companhia processará o biogás produzido pelo Centro Internacional de Energias Renováveis (CIBiogás), que executa um projeto piloto em Toledo, no oeste do Paraná.

Toledo é um importante polo de produtores de suínos e aves. A região pode alimentar a CIBiogás com 340 m³/d de dejetos suínos e até 2,9 t/d de carcaças de animais.

A unidade estará totalmente operacional em 2024 e atingirá a capacidade de 7,3 milhões de m³/ano de biogás em 2026, quando a planta de processamento de biometano da RDP Energia começará a produzir 3 milhões de m³/ano do produto.

A empresa pretende utilizar o biometano para abastecer indústrias regionais e produzir bio-GNV para atender a demanda do setor de transportes em Toledo e Cascavel.

O próximo passo será pesquisar mais aplicações de biogás para produzir combustível de aviação sustentável (SAF, na sigla em inglês), disse o presidente da CIBiogás, Rafael Gonzalez.


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24/11/28

Japan’s Saibu Gas to launch terminal expansion in 2029

Japan’s Saibu Gas to launch terminal expansion in 2029

Singapore, 28 November (Argus) — Japanese gas retailer Saibu Gas expects to start commercial operations at its Hibiki terminal expansion between the second and third quarter of 2029. The firm has reached a final investment decision (FID) for the Hibiki terminal expansion, the firm said on 28 November. Saibu's expansion plan includes building a third LNG storage tank with a capacity of 230,000m³, as well as gas production and LNG tank truck-loading facilities. The total project cost is estimated to be around ¥50bn ($330m), and construction will start around summer 2025. The firm issued the tender for expansion in March. This is part of the firm's efforts to meet domestic gas demand "for carbon neutrality", Saibu said. It is also considering introducing e-methane in the future to further enhance its decarbonisation efforts. Saibu Gas plans to expand its global business by utilising the Hibiki terminal to reload cargoes to sell to overseas customers using isotank containers . The terminal has two existing 180,000m³ tanks and sits at Kita-Kyushu in west Japan's Fukuoka prefecture. It is jointly operated by Kyushu Electric and Saibu Gas. The terminal will supply regasified LNG through pipelines to the new 620MW Hibiki LNG-fired power plant at Hibikinada, in the southern Fukuoka prefecture. The facility is expected to start commercial operations in 2026 and it is operated by Hibiki Power, a joint venture between Kyushu (80pc) and Sabu (20pc). By Naomi Ong Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan’s Kline receives new LNG-fuelled car carrier


24/11/28
24/11/28

Japan’s Kline receives new LNG-fuelled car carrier

Tokyo, 28 November (Argus) — Japanese shipping company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (Kline) received an LNG-fuelled car carrier on 28 November, as it looks to use more lower-carbon marine fuels as part of its decarbonisation efforts. Kline received the car carrier Pontus Highway with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles from Chinese shipbuilder China Merchants Jinling Shipyard. The vessel is equipped with a dual fuel engine and is designed to curb emissions of CO2 by 25-30pc, sulphide oxide by almost 100pc and nitrogen oxide by around 75pc, compared to conventional fuel oil. Kline previously commissioned the LNG-fuelled car carrier Nereus Highway , also built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard, in the first half of August . It received LNG-fuelled car carrier Poseidon Highway , built by domestic shipbuilder Imabari Shipbuilding, on 1 October . Kline said LNG-fuelled ships have an advantage in securing fuel as supply facilities for these vessels are well-established at ports, especially compared to methanol- and ammonia-fuelled vessels. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Australia’s Santos wins costs in gas pipeline case


24/11/28
24/11/28

Australia’s Santos wins costs in gas pipeline case

Townsville, 28 November (Argus) — Australian independent Santos will receive millions of dollars in legal costs, months after the Federal Court ruled in the firm's favour regarding a lawsuit intended to derail its $4.6bn Barossa gas field in the Timor Sea. Environmental law group the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) must pay Santos' legal bills of slightly more than A$9mn ($5.8mn), 100pc of the company's costs incurred defending a 2023 court case. The EDO's lawyers claimed Barossa's gas export pipeline required a new environmental plan because of cultural heritage matters, but the court found the action brought on behalf of three Tiwi islander Aboriginal people failed to establish any new facts following a cultural survey along the route of the 262km pipeline. Justice Natalie Charlesworth dismissed the independence and credibility of an EDO-commissioned underwater map showing cultural sites, with court papers released showing an expert offered to move the location of one such site so it would conflict with the pipeline. The decision may have a chilling effect on further legal challenges to oil, gas and coal projects in Australia. Court action planned against Australian independent Woodside's $12.5bn Scarborough project offshore Western Australia was called off in August , with the applicant labelling the case as "expensive and risky". Australia's conservative Coalition alliance has promised to end taxpayer funding for the EDO if it wins control of federal parliament in 2025. The October 2022 budget pledged A$9.8mn over four years and A$2.6mn/yr in ongoing funding to the EDO and fellow national legal organisation Environmental Justice Australia. Santos plans to bring its $4.6bn, 84pc complete Barossa field in the Timor Sea on line in July-September 2025, a slight delay from the previously guided first half of 2025. The field will provide feedstock for the 3.7mn t/yr Darwin LNG terminal, which exported its final cargo from the Bayu-Undan field in 2023. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

LNG use poses risk to Cambodia's energy security: IEEFA


24/11/28
24/11/28

LNG use poses risk to Cambodia's energy security: IEEFA

Singapore, 28 November (Argus) — Cambodia's increasing reliance on LNG for power generation could be detrimental to its energy security because of instability in LNG markets, according to Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). Rapid economic growth and electrification have led to Cambodia's electricity demand growing by 16pc/yr since 2009, according to IEEFA's report released on 26 November. Its power generation is mostly from hydropower and coal, but the country aims to boost its gas-fired power generation to meet its decarbonisation targets. Cambodia has a net zero by 2050 goal, and aims to reach 70pc renewable energy generation by 2030. The share of coal in Cambodia's power mix was 45pc in 2023, with hydropower representing 44pc, solar 5pc and imports from neighbouring countries making up the remaining 6pc. The country in 2021 declared that it would not build new coal plants beyond those already approved. Natural gas had not played a role in the country's power mix until recently, but "optimism has grown in recent years regarding the ability of new LNG-to-power projects to help the country meet rising electricity demand," stated the report. Gas operator Cambodian Natural Gas imported the country's first LNG shipment in 2020 from China's state-owned firm CNOOC, according to IEEFA. The firm also planned to complete a 1,200MW LNG-fired power plant and a 3mn t/yr import terminal by 2023, although there has been no progress as of June this year. Cambodian officials in November 2023 announced the cancellation of a 700MW coal project, which will be replaced with a 800MW gas-fired power plant instead. Cambodia is seeking to build these large LNG-fired power plants because of concerns over the intermittency of renewables such as wind and power, and LNG is viewed as a suitable transition fuel for grid reliability. The government expects LNG-fired capacity to reach 900MW by 2040, which would require roughly 840,000 t/yr of imports. When considering long-term wholesale prices of $8-16/mn Btu, Cambodia's LNG import bill could range between $361mn-722mn/yr, according to IEEFA. Some forecasts estimate that Cambodia's LNG-fired capacity could rise to as much as 2,700MW by 2040 and 8,700MW by 2050, stated the report. This would entail import requirements of 2.53mn t/yr in 2040 and 8.14mn t/yr in 2050. The fuel import costs for 2,700MW of LNG-fired capacity could amount to $1.08bn-2.17bn. LNG volatility LNG markets have been volatile over the past two years, because of factors such as geopolitical tensions and outages at supply facilities. Other emerging Asian economies such as Pakistan and Bangladesh faced fuel and power shortages because they have been unable to secure affordable LNG supplies, and this "demonstrates the evident risks of LNG importation for developing countries," states the report. Cambodia already has one of the highest electricity tariffs in Asia at $0.16/kWh, so higher LNG prices could require higher tariffs. LNG prices in Asia have been roughly $14/mn Btu and would have to fall below $5mn/mn Btu to compete with other electricity sources, according to IEEFA, but these low price levels are rare. The ANEA price, the Argus assessment for spot LNG deliveries to northeast Asia for the front-half month, stood at $15.08/mn Btu on 27 November. Cambodia's LNG demand and LNG-fired power plant expansions remain uncertain, so long-term offtake commitments will be challenging and the country will likely have to initially source cargoes from the sport market, according to the report. But the spot market poses risks in terms of supply security and price stability. Establishing an LNG supply chain also entails rigid long-term contracts that lock in fossil fuel infrastructure for decades. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Q&A: AtJ learnings, mandate critical for Australian SAF


24/11/27
24/11/27

Q&A: AtJ learnings, mandate critical for Australian SAF

Sydney, 27 November (Argus) — Australian bioenergy developer Jet Zero has received strong government backing for its proposed Project Ulysses, an alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in the northern Queensland state city of Townsville. Argus spoke to chief executive Ed Mason on the sidelines of the Townsville Summit on 27 November about the project's initial engineering. Edited highlights follow: Regarding the proposed 102mn l/yr refinery here in Townsville, what are some of the initial engineering study findings? So with front-end engineering and design (FEED), what we're doing is value engineering, which you typically do at the end of FEED, we're doing it at the front because we've seen so many opportunities to improve on the reference project design in Georgia, US — they're just basically lessons learned from what LanzaJet have seen, as well as what we've identified as opportunities to eliminate, reduce, simplify costs. We've got hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), that's the kind of space rocket that can get you to the moon, we've now got alcohol-to-jet commercialised, which is like the space shuttle — slightly better, which can do more. But we really need to see a SpaceX type of system where you can go up and down and make it more efficient, so it's making those technologies far more capital efficient and better, so that's what we're focused on. Where are negotiations at with refiners Wilmar and Manildra, the two main producers of ethanol in Australia? We basically have constructive discussions in particular with Wilmar, they have surplus capacity, they're vocal supporters of development of the ethanol market, as you know, for many years. We've got ample supply (183mn l/yr) and confidence about what we need for SAF and importantly, assisting that supplier getting that feedstock RSB and Corsia certified. Looking at the regulatory situation at the moment, a low-carbon fuel standard. How critical is that to building a project like yours to final investment? We made a submission on the low-carbon liquid fuel paper . We're advocating both supply and demand measures and were fairly aligned with the wider industry submission. We believe a modest mandate, 1-2pc, supports and is ahead of what the project pipeline is, so you're not putting a mandate that can't be achieved by the projects at our stage but that sends a strong signal, like other countries have already sent. Secondly, supply measures around financing like other types of mechanisms you've seen with Hydrogen Headstart , just to get the industry going. How tight is the window for Australia to catch up with the rest of the world? It's very tight. I think we've got to move in the next two years — there is a wall of demand from 2030 and these projects take five years to develop from start to finish. If we don't move in this in the next few years, we'll end up seeing the feedstock develop that market, but not the production of SAF and we'll lose out on those jobs. A standard size plant has been proposed in Townsville, how much room do you have to grow that capacity in Townsville? We'd very much like to be bigger if the market was there for ethanol. We've sized it at the minimum size that we feel can deliver commercial volumes of SAF at a price that's in line with benchmark, but the bigger you go, the bigger economies of scale you get. These are modules, we can increase and add another train to Townsville quite easily, so a huge opportunity to grow that. The actual plant construction timeframe, what does that look like? The longest lead item is 14 months, but I'd assume two years. So if we are at final investment decision in the second half of next year, we could conceivably see this project start producing SAF by the second half of 2027. Is sugarcane going to be sufficient for growing AtJ SAF, or will we need other feedstock in the future? The sugarcane industry has theoretically got the biggest contributing opportunity, particularly short to medium term with this industry. But you've got agave, you've got other types of crops that can produce like sorghum and other types of sources of ethanol that can be used, and they are a potentially medium-to-long-term supply opportunity. [Farming lobby] Canegrowers ran a fairly extensive campaign around the potential of biofuels in the last Queensland state election, and we've seen other bodies in the sugar industry run similar campaigns so the industry, from grower to miller, is supportive of developing the industry. We've only seen sugar mills close in north Queensland over the last decade, I think ultimately the rest of the world's sugar industry has already moved on [biofuels]. 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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