(Transport & Environment/Clean Technica) Investigation into Eni’s projects in Kenya and the Republic of the Congo shows company is failing to produce “miracle” drought-resistant biofuels crops at scale. Italian oil giant Eni is failing to deliver on its promise to produce thousands
(BNN Bloomberg) Eni SpA’s plan to set up plants to source approximately 700,000 tons of biofuel feedstock from Africa by 2026 will cost as much as €700 million ($735 million), according to a senior company official. The plan has already received its
by Douglas L. Faulkner (“The Cleantech Conservative”) and Gerard J. Ostheimer (Clean Energy Ministerial Biofuture Campaign) (Biofuels Digest) We have argued in the Digest that bio-based fuels, chemicals, and materials ought to be a cornerstone of the modern African economy. In
by Chris Clayton (DTN Progressive Farmer) ... Every now and then I also get to read shots at "flyover country" about ethanol or biofuels in general. That leads to a guest essay published June 6 in the New York Times, "The Climate
by Katie Surma (Inside Climate News) A report released Wednesday faults the U.S. and other nations for providing incentives for the mining of rare metals like lithium and cobalt without enacting adequate labor and environmental safeguards. Over the past dozen years, hundreds
by Francesca Landini (Reuters) Eni aims to develop farming ventures in at least 9 countries; Eni replicates upstream-downstream model with agri-business; Eni to decide over new bio-refinery in Livorno by year-end -- Italy's Eni (ENI.MI) is investing in farming in several African
by Jael Holzman (E&E News/Greenwire) With climate change pushing the U.S. toward more rapid adoption of new technologies, many Republicans and Democrats are in rare agreement on one key point: This country needs a lot more mines. But exactly how much new
(Eni) The cargo that left the port of Mombasa is the first from Africa -- The first cargo of vegetable oil for biorefining produced by Eni in Kenya has left the port of Mombasa, on its way to Gela’s biorefinery. This
by Lamar Johnson (Politico) ... The Department of Labor plans to add lithium-ion batteries to a list of products whose components are known to be made using child or forced labor, write E&E News' Jael Holzman and David Iaconangelo. ... The department made the
by Heather L. MacLean, Alexandre Milovanoffi, Daniel Posen (IEEE Spectrum) China has more EVs than any other country—but it also gets most of its electricity from coal. -- ... EVs come with important weaknesses, and so people shouldn’t count on
(Eni) The initiative in Kenya represents the first integrated project in the world to bring Africa into the vertical bio-refinery supply chain by providing income opportunities and market access to thousands of farmers in degraded areas. -- Eni completed the construction
(U.S. Department of Energy) DOE Seeks Public Input on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program for Clean Energy Projects That Will Help Revitalize Energy Communities and Create Good Paying Jobs -- The Biden Administration through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today issued a
by Erin Marquis (Jalopnik) Calculating the cost of clean energy is a dirty job, but Ars Technica is here to do it -- ... This excellent deep dive published by Ars Technica Monday into what it really costs to go green is a stirring
by Raphael Orlove (Jalopnik) ... 1st Gear: Here’s Another Fun ‘Wait Do We Actually Want These Lithium Mines’ Article -- Every day I feel like there’s a new article about lithium mining coming home. Just the other day, Bloomberg was wringing its
by Ben Gelman (Axios) Minerals used in power generation technologies ... One persistent theme in analyses of the transition to cleaner energy is the scramble to obtain supplies needed for renewables projects, electric vehicle batteries and other low-carbon tech. The big picture: "A typical
by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) The CEO of Italian energy and renewable diesel company Eni S.p.A., Claudio Descalzi, has signed two memorandums of understanding (MOU) in recent days with two Sub-Saharan African nations, the Congo and Angola, on joint development
(Eni) Eni, Republic of Congo sign MoU on joint development of bio-refining agro-feedstock sector; Eni delegation led by CEO Descalzi met President Sassou Nguesso to discuss agricultural programs and gas valorization also with reference to access to energy for domestic
by Tammy Klein (Transport Energy Strategies) For this video podcast, I spoke with Dr. Felix Leach, Associate Professor of Engineering Science at Oxford University and Dr. Peter Kelly Senecal, Co-Owner and Vice President, Convergent Science on their just-released book, Racing Toward Zero: The
by Robert Lea (AZO CleanTech) New research suggests that a carbon-neutral biofuel could be created from methane extracted from lakes. -- ... A team of environmental scientists from the University of Basel, Switzerland, suggest that methane stored in lakes could
(Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources) Today (March 16, 2021), U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), delivered the following remarks at a full committee hearing on transportation technologies. ... “Too
by Hiroko Tabuchi and Brad Plumer (New York Times) Here’s a guide to the main issues and how they might be addressed. -- ... But a lot depends on how much coal is being burned to charge up those plug-in
by Jane Nakano (Center for Strategic & International Studies) As clean energy technology becomes the latest frontier for geoeconomic rivalry, the security of supply chains for rare earths and critical minerals—essential materials for clean energy—has become a global strategic issue. The
by David Thorpe (Future Fuel Stratgies/The Fifth Estate) Renewable electricity generation and storage requires huge quantities of mined raw materials. In Europe, most of these elements are currently imported and unsustainably produced. So the European Commission has hatched a new plan for
by James Osborne (Houston Chronicle) Forecasts say that electric vehicle sales are about to take off worldwide and increase demand for the raw materials that go into batteries. -- Energy Secretary Rick Perry earlier this month said he would put more federal
(African Development Bank Group) The African Development Bank is championing a new regional and global effort to transform the African Savannah from a “Sleeping Giant” to the cradle of the continent’s green revolution. “This sleeping giant needs to wake up,” the Bank’s
by Madison Freeman and Morgan Bazilian (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs) Renewable energy technologies promise to help our world avert some of the worst impacts of climate change. However, some of the minerals and metals they require could contribute to conflict. In
by Scott Patterson and Alexandra Wexler (Wall Street Journal) Apple Inc., Volkswagen AG and about 20 other global manufacturers found themselves on the defense when Amnesty International reported two years ago that the cobalt in some of their batteries was dug up
by Vishnu Rajamanickam (Freight Waves) ... But unless the manufacturing process and the raw material sourcing is regulated and stabilized, it would be hard to sell EVs to the larger middle-class populace. This is because the on-road price of an electric vehicle is
by Todd C. Frankel and Lena Mucha (photos) (The Washington Post) In Congo’s sun-scorched and dusty south, thousands of miners scour underground tunnels hunting for cobalt. Many of them work by hand. That’s why they are known as creuseurs — French
by Thomas Wilson and Jack Farchy (Bloomberg) Output at Congo’s artisanal mines probably rose at least half; Metal vital to many electric vehicles has tripled in 18 months -- The appetite for electric cars is driving a boom in small-scale cobalt production
by Thomas Wilson (Bloomberg) Congo supplies much of the cobalt needed for electric vehicles Political conflict, disputes, law changes put supply at risk -- The cars of the future will depend increasingly upon supplies of an obscure metal from a country in the
by Todd C. Frankel (The Washington Post) ... This remote landscape in southern Africa lies at the heart of the world’s mad scramble for cheap cobalt, a mineral essential to the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Bliss Baker, president of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, recently sent letters to the national leaders of 24 countries that highlighted biofuels as part of their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution plans at the recent
(BioCube™) The BioCube Corporation was delighted to have The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada visit the BioCube™ at the GLOBE 2016 Conference in Vancouver last week. Held every two years in Vancouver, BC the GLOBE Series of
(Exchange Magazine) Visitors to the GLOBE Innovation Expo will get an up-close look at a made-in-B.C. portable biofuel refinery built inside a standard 20-foot shipping container. BioCube has successfully deployed its refinery on remote sites in The Congo, in India,
by Anna Hirtenstein (Bloomberg/The Washington Post) A brew made from sawdust and water hyacinth flowers may help reduce the millions of lives lost across the developing world from the fumes of ramshackle cooking equipment. Those are the ingredients being used by Green
(Union of Concerned Scientists) A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that reducing emissions from the land sector must be part of a global climate solution in order to close the “emissions gap,” the difference between the
by Robert Mbakou (Bloomberg BusinessWeek) Spain’s Biocongo Global Trading will spend 150 million euros ($201 million) developing 60,000 hectares (148,000 acres) of palm oil plantations and two processing plants in Congo Republic over the next five years, according to a
(Bloomberg) A Chinese company plans to produce jatropha ... in the Democratic Republic of Congo,...Greater Kingdom Group, has asked for 10,000 hectares in each of the provinces... READ MORE
(MarketWatch) ...Carbon2Green is currently conducting a pilot project in the Bandundu region of DRC and wants to achieve a funding enabling it, by the end of the year, to proceed with the hiring of over 300 people and planting nearly
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