Brazil taps Correa do Lago as Cop 30 president

: Emissions
25/01/21

Brazil chose veteran diplomat Andre Aranha Correa do Lago to preside over the UN Cop 30 climate summit, it said.

Correa do Lago's appointment breaks the mold of the latest Cop presidents. The last two Cop presidents — Mukhtar Babayev and Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who presided over Cop 29 and 28, respectively — were experienced oil executives, while Correa do Lago has mostly been a diplomat and an advocate of sustainable development.

Correa do Lago has served as the Brazilian foreign affairs ministry's climate, energy and environment secretary since March 2023 and began his career as a diplomat in 1982. He previously served in the embassies in Madrid, Prague, Washington and Buenos Aires and in a mission to the EU in Brussels. Later, Correa do Lago was ambassador to Japan (2013-2018), India (2018-2023) and Bhutan (2019-2023).

He has been working on sustainable development topics since 2001, according to the Brazilian government. He was director of the energy division of the foreign affairs' ministry from 2008-2011 and headed the ministry's environmental division from 2011-2013. He also served as Brazil's chief negotiator for climate change from 2011-2013 and presided over the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, also known as Rio+20.

Brazil also tapped economist Ana Toni, the energy ministry's secretary for climate change since March 2023, as Cop 30's executive director. She holds a PhD in political science and focused her career on promoting projects and public policies regarding social justice, the environment and climate change. Toni was executive director of the climate and society institute from 2015-2022, president of Greenpeace's board from 2010-2017 and the director of the Ford Foundation in Brazil from 2003-2011.

Brazil will host Cop 30 in Belem, the capital of northern Para state, in November. The city was chosen because of its proximity to the Amazon rainforest.

By Lucas Parolin

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25/04/29

DG Fuels eyes larger, later Louisiana SAF plant

New York, 29 April (Argus) — US renewable fuels company DG Fuels intends to produce more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) than it initially planned at its flagship Louisiana project, albeit on a later timeline. DG Fuels president Christopher Chaput told Argus that the company is working to reach a final investment decision on its Louisiana facility by the first quarter of next year and is on track to start delivering "meaningful" amounts of SAF from the site in 2030, later than initially expected. The company continues to look at other potential facilities across the country but is prioritizing its Louisiana plant, which will use the Fischer-Tropsch chemical process to gasify agricultural waste into low-carbon fuels. "Not exclusively, but we are focusing really, really, really hard on the first project, which is Louisiana," Chaput said. Potential sites in Nebraska and Minnesota are the next-furthest along, and the company still owns land in Maine where it could build a similar SAF plant. The facilities would use similar technology but draw from different feedstocks, such as local forest or agricultural waste, and different types of hydrogen. The plan in Louisiana is to produce blue hydrogen, which involves capturing carbon emissions and is eligible for a federal tax credit. That Louisiana facility has also expanded in size, and Chaput says it could ultimately produce 195-200mn USG/yr of fuel — up from estimates last year and an initial projection of 120mn USG/yr. Chaput says the plant's size — which would give it the highest capacity of all Fischer-Tropsch SAF plants planned globally according to Argus estimates — will be an advantage for ultimately producing a cost-competitive fuel. Other potential DG Fuels facilities would be similarly large, a different approach from some other US developers like Aether Fuels, Natural State Renewables and now-defunct Fulcrum Bioenergy that have eyed a similar production process on smaller sites. Some biofuel producers already operational today use a separate process to produce SAF, hydroprocessing vegetable oils and animal fats, and have higher production capacities. But that pathway could ultimately be limited by feedstock constraints and competition from renewable diesel, analysts say, which has spurred investors and airlines to look at other potential pathways. While plants eyeing production in the 2030s might be less exposed to immediate policy risks, biofuel producers in the US have struggled to start 2025 as margins crash from the halting rollout of a new federal tax credit and delayed blend mandates. President Donald Trump's aggressive efforts to curb renewables have scared climate tech start-ups, though Trump has also voiced general support for some other clean energy sources, including biofuels. A government loan to support US refiner Calumet's efforts to produce more SAF was briefly halted this year and then [unpaused]( https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2656961) after a Republican US senator intervened. And policies abroad — including increasingly stringent SAF mandates in the EU and UK — could ultimately support clean fuel developers in the US even if incentives shift stateside. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Trump return complicates climate talks: Cop 30 head

25/04/29

Trump return complicates climate talks: Cop 30 head

New York, 29 April (Argus) — This year's UN Cop 30 climate talks will proceed with a key goal of scaling up climate finance, but US president Donald Trump's disruptive return to the White House has made efforts to reduce emissions more challenging, according to the Brazilian official leading the summit. Continuing the fight to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions "is going to be a slightly uphill battle, but I think it's the right one," Brazil climate secretary and Cop 30 president André Corrêa Do Lago said Tuesday at the BNEF Summit in New York City. "The international context could help a little more", Corrêa Do Lago said, drawing laughter from the audience. Trump moved quickly after beginning his second term to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement, an exit that will formally take effect in January 2026. He has started to impede US development of renewable energy projects he sees as boondoggles, but he is facing challenges to his attempts to halt government funding and tax credits for the sector. It is unclear if the US will send a delegation to the Cop 30 summit this year, which is scheduled to take place in Belem, Brazil, in November. Corrêa Do Lago said that invitations have not yet been sent to prospective participants. He also made a distinction between the US government and others in the US, including state and businesses leaders, that have pledged to continue supporting GHG emissions reductions even as the Trump administration moves to boost oil and gas. Publicly, countries have not changed their tune on climate in response to the US policy shifts. But Corrêa Do Lago said that privately there are "some that say, ‘God, how am I going to convince my people that I have to try to lower emissions if the richest country in the world is not doing the same?'" Corrêa Do Lago said that this year's summit needs to focus less on technical negotiations over documents that might never be implemented as a result, and more about making an economic appeal for decarbonization and hosting more of a "Cop of solutions, a Cop of action". He reiterated the Brazilian government's goal of increasing climate financing for developing countries from the target set at Cop 29 of $300bn/yr by 2035 to the far higher target of $1.3 trillion/yr. By Cole Martin Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

European aviation emissions to surpass pre-Covid levels

25/04/29

European aviation emissions to surpass pre-Covid levels

London, 29 April (Argus) — Carbon emissions from the European aviation industry are on course to surpass 2019 levels this year, according to a new study by clean energy lobby group Transport & Environment (T&E). Flights departing from European airports — in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the UK — emitted around 187.6mn t of CO2 in 2024, 8pc higher than in 2023 and just 2pc short of 2019, the year before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the study said. Meanwhile, 8.4mn flights departed from airports in Europe last year, which was 4pc lower than in 2019. T&E forecasts that aviation emissions will rise to 195.2mn t this year, 4pc higher than 2019 levels, even after taking into account a 2pc mandate on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) use. European flight numbers are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels for the first time this year. Long-haul flights emitted the most CO2 last year, with London to New York flights accounting for 1.4mn t, London to Dubai 1.2mn t and London to Singapore 1.1mn t. T&E criticised carbon pricing in Europe, pointing out that airlines do not have to pay for carbon emissions on intercontinental flights, according to EU, Swiss and UK Emissions Trading Systems (ETS), as their carbon allowances only apply to flights within Europe. This means that airlines operating within these carbon markets do not have to pay for emissions on the biggest-polluting routes. The group claims that up to 70pc of carbon emissions fell outside of these carbon markets last year and were therefore exempt. T&E is pushing the EU and UK to expand their ETS, saying they could have generated an extra €7.5bn in 2024. The EU will review its ETS next year. By Amaar Khan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Thailand’s PTTEP posts higher 1Q oil, gas sales

25/04/29

Thailand’s PTTEP posts higher 1Q oil, gas sales

Singapore, 29 April (Argus) — Thai state-controlled upstream firm PTTEP's oil and gas sales rose in the first quarter of 2025, but revenues fell slightly on a decline in crude prices. PTTEP's sales over January-March totalled 484,000 b/d of oil equivalent (boe/d), up by 2pc from the same period a year earlier on higher production from its G1/61 project and a rise in crude oil sales from the Malaysia Block K project. But sales dropped by 3pc on the quarter, primarily because of lower crude oil and condensate sales from its overseas projects — namely Oman's Blocks 6 and 61, and Algeria's Hassi Bir Rekaiz project — and a drop in gas sales volumes because of a maintenance shutdown at its G2/61 project. The firm has signed an amendment to the gas sales agreement for its Arthit project to raise the daily contracted quantity of natural gas supplied to parent company and trading firm PTT from 280mn ft³/d to 330mn ft³/d from June onwards. This is to "help address domestic natural gas demand and reinforce national energy security," said the firm. PTTEP in April acquired additional stakes in Apico, a joint venture partner in the Sinphuhorm onshore oil field in northeastern Thailand, raising its share from 80.487pc to 90pc. This has in turn led to a higher share of production volumes from the project, which produced an average of 105mn ft³/d of gas and 222 b/d of condensate in 2024. The company is also currently progressing towards taking a final investment decision (FID) on its Arthit carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Front-end engineering design for the project has been completed and the firm is currently preparing agreements, it said. PTTEP aims to reduce 700,000-1mn t/yr of CO2 emissions through this CCS project. The firm recorded revenues of $2.185bn for January-March, down by 1pc on the year and by 9pc on the quarter. Its average selling price fell to $45.74/boe on a decline in crude prices, said the firm. This resulted in the firm's profit for the first quarter falling by about 7pc on the year and by 9pc on the quarter to $488mn. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Environmental markets wary of Trump's next moves

25/04/28

Environmental markets wary of Trump's next moves

Houston, 28 April (Argus) — US President Donald Trump's recent threat of legal challenges against state climate and clean energy policies has roiled environmental markets waiting to learn the scope and avenues those confrontations could take. Trump's 8 April executive order, which directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consider contesting state policies that threaten "American energy dominance", targeted California's cap-and-trade program by name, but it may also extend to other policies, including renewable portfolio standards (RPS). But uncertainty about the extent of the administration's ambitions has injected another variable into an already volatile economic landscape. Market anxieties may not fade soon. US attorney general Pam Bondi has until early June to report on actions she has taken and make recommendations for other steps by the White House or Congress. Conservatives in some states already have asked her to scrutinize particular programs. Administration arguments One angle from which the DOJ could attack state programs is the well-trod "dormant Commerce Clause", a legal doctrine that says state laws cannot discriminate against or impose undue burdens on another state's economic activity. But such a challenge is more difficult if a program is merely stipulating, "if you want to come to our state, our electricity market or our fuel market, here are the rules to play by", according to Matthew Dobbins, a partner at Vinson & Elkins and member of the law firm's environment and natural resources team in Houston. Courts have dismissed lawsuits that tried this approach against low-carbon fuel standards in California and Oregon , as well Colorado's RPS. In addition, an appeals court last year threw out a case against Washington's cap-and-invest program, ruling it did not overstep in its handling of in-state versus out-of-state electricity suppliers. The US Supreme Court may soon decide whether to hear an appeal of the case. More broadly, a 2023 Supreme Court decision upholding a California law restricting interstate pork sales based on animal treatment makes such dormant Commerce Clause challenges "a lot harder", according to Nico van Aelstyn, partner at Sheppard Mullin in San Francisco. The DOJ could try using the "Equal Sovereignty" doctrine, which stipulates that one state's rights cannot exceed another's, van Aelstyn said. This has been used in cases against California's vehicle emissions standards and other states' climate "superfund" laws, which penalize oil and gas companies for historical emissions. But van Aelstyn described it as "not really tested yet." That administration has also been hoping to fast-track Supreme Court rulings on the executive orders by justifying them through "declared emergencies," according to Dobbins. This use of emergency powers will likely reveal how far the court will go to "pressure test" the administration's requests for speedy judicial relief, as justices work through a growing emergency docket through the end of term in June or July. Relitigating the past Amid growing trade tensions between the US and Canada, the DOJ could also revive a 2019 lawsuit against California's cap-and-trade program. A US district court at the time ruled that federal purview over foreign affairs does not preempt the state linking its program with Quebec's. Although the first Trump administration appealed the ruling, former president Joe Biden withdrew the case, leaving the matter undecided with one claim potentially still ripe for judicial review. "What that'll probably come down to is how much Canada has expressed its anger . . . and if the administration is willing to go 'all in' on trying to provoke one of our largest trading partners," Dobbins said. But even if California severed ties with Quebec, the province is a small part of the market, and its absence is unlikely to cripple the state's program. Meanwhile, in the markets… Trump's executive order has put states and US companies alike on the back foot, adding to a "shock and awe" barrage from tariffs and potential rollbacks to federal clean electricity incentives , said Tom Harper, a partner on consultant Baringa's energy advisory team in New York City. That volatility has led clean energy developers and buyers to hold off on decisions until they have a bit more stability. "You're almost in a state of paralysis because you can't go and deploy a team on a project. You can't go and arrange finance because the cost is moving day to day," Harper said. The tariffs have also fed growing concerns about the US economy, which have spilled into environmental markets. The California Carbon Allowance (CCA) market, already a bit bearish because of ongoing delays to planned program changes, plunged the day after Trump's executive order. Argus assessed CCAs for December delivery that day at $26.74/t — at the time their lowest price since November 2022. The lack of certainty around federal legal developments continues to whittle away at bullish signals, leaving market participants to wait for a clear outcome. Adding another layer of uncertainty is the fact that disputes may spill outside of the court system. Following the same logic as of Trump's " national energy emergency ", the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) could hypothetically issue an emergency order to halt carbon and clean energy programs. The recent resignation of a Democratic commissioner, giving Trump the ability to install a Republican majority, could facilitate that pathway. But using FERC to shutter these programs would be on weak legal footing, van Aelstyn said. The Trump administration has no issue using extrajudicial tools to enforce its policies, such as its January pause on federal funding that left states like California — which receives more than $100bn in backing and grants from the US government each fiscal year — grappling with potential budget holes. Two federal courts have said the administration must dole out the funds, but agencies have been slow to comply. "If they can withhold congressionally appropriated research funds for universities because they don't like their policies with regard to free speech on their campuses, what else might they do?" van Aelstyn said. "Withhold Medicaid funding to states where they don't like their renewable energy standards?" By Denise Cathey and Patrick Zemanek Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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