Global Ethanol Summit Kicks off with Conversations on Ethanol’s Global Position

October 22, 2025

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by Rusty Halvorson (U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council/KFGO) Attendees of the Global Ethanol Summit (GES) 2025 settled in for the first full day of programming Monday, which featured three keynote speakers, a panel and two flash talks focused on the day’s theme, “Ethanol is renewable and available.”

U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council Chairman Mark Wilson opened the event. “I am excited to take a moment to share that the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council is unveiling a new interactive tool here at the Global Ethanol Summit, developed in partnership with Faro90, that allows users to compare the blending economics and greenhouse gas reduction benefits of ethanol around the world,” Wilson said.

“Designed to support policymakers, industry leaders and researchers alike, this tool showcases the global impact of bioethanol with real world data—and the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions through data-driven innovation.”

GES is an education and trade forum, hosted by USGBC, and supported by Growth Energy, RFA, BASF and USGBC members that seeks to elevate bioethanol’s international visibility and ongoing successful initiatives as a viable decarbonization solution within the transportation sector.

Over 450 ministerial-level officials and industry leaders, bioethanol producers and refiners from more than 40 countries are attending this year to learn about the numerous economic, environmental and human health benefits of globally expanding the use of biofuels.

At the end of the event, nine groups of participants will travel around the country to view the biofuel value chain firsthand before heading back to their home countries. READ MORE

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Global Ethanol Summit Continues With Panels On Ethanol’s Compatibility (Oklahoma Farm Report)
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Excerpt from Oklahoma Farm Report: The conference will address emerging markets in on-road and off-road applications, ethanol’s contributions to economic and agricultural development, its impact on reduced carbon emissions, robust environments and improved human health, carbon intensity discussions and implementation measures, removing trade restrictions and ethanol use and technological advancements.

Today participants attended pre-conference ethanol technical workshops that featured two panels with speakers Doug Berven, vice president of corporate affairs at POET; Rowena Torres-Ordonez, ethanol consultant for USGBC; Tad Hepner, vice president of strategy and innovation at RFA; Morten Jacobsen, secretary general of the Global Ethanol Association; Jake Comer, vice president of market development and Kristy Moore, consultant for Growth Energy; Ron Lamberty, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at the American Coalition for Ethanol; and Hagan Rose, international director of sales and marketing at Eco-Energy.

‘We are thrilled to be able to host this third global edition of Global Ethanol Summit,” said Alicia Koch, USGBC director of global ethanol export development.

“It is an unparalleled opportunity for decision makers and stakeholders in the ethanol value chain to access experts, resources, and networking in a curated, concentrated forum – not to mention the hands-on experience for all the trade teams that are able to interact directly with American agriculture.”

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Before attending GES, the Council organized 12 trade teams to show international buyers and end-users aspects of the U.S. ethanol value chain to strengthen relationships. Three trade teams arrived from the Philippines, Vietnam and South Korea in the U.S. before GES and visited corn-growing states during harvest, explored ethanol and DDGS production at ethanol plants and viewed terminal facilities in Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska. After the event, the remaining nine trade teams will leave for post-conference tours to visit the ethanol value chain in additional corn-growing states before returning to their home countries. READ MORE

Excerpt from Nebraska TV: Several Nebraska corn farmers recently hosted a trade team in anticipation of the U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council’s Global Ethanol Summit in Washington, D.C. The summit will include panel discussions with experts on topics within the biofuel industry, including sustainable aviation fuel, industrial applications, clean cooking, and maritime fuels. READ MORE

Excerpt from Oklahoma Farm Report: The Global Ethanol Summit (GES) continues Tuesday emphasizing the theme “ethanol is compatible” with three panels and three flash talk sessions on biofuel uses including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), sustainable maritime fuel and other emerging markets.

Ernest Moniz, founder and CEO of the EFI Foundation and former U.S. Secretary of Energy opened the day by presenting on marine ethanol and other emerging markets.

“There is no way that we will reach a low carbon future without low carbon fuel, and that is where ethanol comes in,” Moniz said. “Ethanol is the pathway now toward a low carbon future and the key to energy transition. If you look at low-carbon, scalable, affordable fuels, ethanol is the only game in town.”

The morning continued with flash talks on innovation in emerging markets with ethanol. Dr. Steffen Mueller, principal economist at the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago moderated the conversations and was joined by speakers Dr. Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, professor at The Hormel Institute; Sophie Odupoy, director of public affairs at KOKO Networks; Mohammed Uhuru Kadhi, general manager – green value chain at Farmerco Industries Limited; Mark Heckman, vice president of sales at Edeniq; and James Glueck, executive director at the Plant Based Products Council.

Two panels closed out the morning general sessions with the first panel featuring moderator Reid Wagner, technical director of market development for Growth Energy and speakers Tom Leone, principal engineer at Southwest Research Institute; Dr. Robert McCormick, senior research fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Juha Honkasalo, head of industry relations at eFlexFuel; Nancy Tsou, chief strategy officer at Sanyang Motor Co, Ltd; and Randy Gard, COO at Bosselman Enterprises. The panel discussed advanced vehicle compatibility and infrastructure requirements.

The second panel covered ethanol applications in marine fuel – policy, technology and feasibility – and was hosted by Clarence Woo, managing director for the Global Centre for Green Fuels. Panel expert speakers included Zoltan Szabo, secretary general for the Climate Ethanol Alliance; Lucas Correa, general manager of decarbonization services – Americas at Wärtsilä; Donald Brown, senior vice president of maritime policy at Cruise Lines International Association; and Volkmar Galke, executive sales director at WinGD Ltd.

“There are more than 100 million tons of ethanol produced every year, and maritime will double or triple that need in the future,” Szabo said. “Maritime needs fuels that are low carbon, available, scalable and low cost – ethanol ticks all of those boxes.”

The afternoon began with flash talks from experts about scaling proven SAF solutions through ethanol-to-jet pathways. Moderator Louise Burke, strategic business development North American renewables and global head of aviation for Argus Media led the group that featured presentations from Dr. Jennifer Aurandt-Pilgrim, vice president of Marquis R&D Energy; Angela Foster-Rice, vice president of government and regulatory affairs at LanzaJet; Stephen McLellan, general manager of new business development and corporate planning at Taiyo Oil Company; David Schwalje, vice president of emerging market development at Axens; Lindsay Fitzgerald, chief advocacy and communications officer at Gevo.

The conference continued with a panel discussion featuring airline experts speaking to the industry collaboration around SAF. Mark Ingebretson, ethanol consultant for USGBC hosted the panel of airline representatives that featured Jason Heron, head of clean fuels, U.S. SAF ambassador for Airbus Americas, Inc.; Sean Newsum, managing director for environmental affairs at Airlines for America; Joanna Chavez, SAF program manager at Delta Air Lines; and Tom Michels, director of government affairs at United Airlines.

“SAF is a market opportunity for the agriculture sector,” Michels said. “The U.S. uses about 22 billion gallons of jet fuel a year, and right now, less than 1% of that is SAF. Every bit of that 22 billion gallons is something that the ethanol industry could eventually serve.”

Tuesday concluded with flash talks about scalable feedstocks for a global bioeconomy moderated by Fred Ghatala, president of Advanced Biofuels Canada. The panel speakers included Keith Kline, distinguished scientist in the environmental sciences division at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; John Duff, strategy consultant for the National Sorghum Producers; Stefan Schreiber, board member of Verbio; and Rennatto Tible, head legal counsel and biofuel affairs officer at Grupo Pantaleon.

GES ends Wednesday with two general sessions highlighting the theme “ethanol is affordable.” More information about the conference is available on social media using the hashtag #GES25 or through the website here. READ MORE

Excerpt from World-Grain.com: On the second full day of the Global Ethanol Summit, speakers focused on the compatibility of ethanol and its uses, including as a sustainable aviation fuel, sustainable maritime fuel and in other emerging markets.

Ernest Moniz, founder and chief executive officer of the EFI Foundation and former US Secretary of Energy, opened the day by presenting on marine ethanol and other emerging markets.

The morning continued with flash talks on innovation in emerging markets with ethanol.

Two panels closed out the morning general sessions with discussions on advanced vehicle compatibility and infrastructure requirements and ethanol applications in marine fuel — policy, technology and feasibility.

“There are more than 100 million tons of ethanol produced every year, and maritime will double or triple that need in the future,” said Zoltan Szabo, secretary general for the Climate Ethanol Alliance. “Maritime needs fuels that are low carbon, available, scalable and low cost — ethanol ticks all of those boxes.”

The afternoon began with flash talks from experts about scaling proven SAF solutions through ethanol-to-jet pathways.

The conference continued with a panel discussion featuring airline experts speaking to the industry collaboration around SAF.

“SAF is a market opportunity for the agriculture sector,” said Tom Michels, director of government affairs at United Airlines. “The US uses about 22 billion gallons of jet fuel a year, and right now, less than 1% of that is SAF. Every bit of that 22 billion gallons is something that the ethanol industry could eventually serve.”

Tuesday concluded with flash talks about scalable feedstocks for a global bioeconomy moderated by Fred Ghatala, president of Advanced Biofuels Canada. READ MORE

Excerpt from US Grains & Bioproducts Council: Global Ethanol Summit 2025 (GES), hosted by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) and supported Growth Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), BASF and USGBC members concluded Wednesday (October 22, 2025) with a focus on trade and economic growth highlighting the theme, “ethanol is affordable.”

The conference allowed policy makers and buyers of U.S. ethanol and its co-products to network, participate in curated technical discussions and gain a better understanding of the needs of buyers around the world and the caliber of supply the U.S. provides.

As GES ended, nine trade teams continued the conference’s momentum by heading to corn-growing states to visit advanced farming operations, explore ethanol production plants, view terminal and port facilities and more to build their networks with U.S. suppliers, rounding out their time in the United States.

These groups include:

• China delegation: heading to Ohio

• European Union, United Kingdom and Canada delegation: heading to Indiana

• Japan delegation: heading to Illinois

• Malaysia and Indonesia delegation: heading to Missouri

• Mexico delegation: heading to Wisconsin

• Middle East and Africa delegation: heading to Kansas

• Latin America delegation: heading to Michigan

• Latin America delegation: heading to South Dakota

• Taiwan delegation: heading to Minnesota

To see pictures and other updates from these teams, follow the Council on Instagram and check out the Newsroom page on the Council’s website. READ MORE

Excerpt from Renewable Fuels Association: As RFA’s President and CEO Geoff Cooper said in his opening remarks, “Ethanol solves problems.” That simple statement echoed in my mind over the course of the Summit. With every panel, conversation, and presentation, I started to understand why....

What struck me most at GES was how versatile ethanol truly is. From transportation and aviation to agriculture and household energy, ethanol touches so many parts of modern life. Hearing about how ethanol production sustains rural economies, supports farmers, and benefits the environment, underscored the broad impact of our industry. It also encouraged me to view the ethanol process through a holistic lens, from crop to pump and everything in between.

Farming and agriculture are at the heart of this story, capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere through crops like corn. Ethanol production builds on that natural cycle by turning the starch into clean fuel while the remaining protein and fiber become distillers grains, nutrient-rich feed that supports global food security. In fact, the U.S. ethanol industry produces enough protein each year to meet the USDA’s daily recommendation for hundreds of millions of people. Rather than taking food away, ethanol production helps create more, while also reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality, and keeping fuel affordable at the pump. It’s a reminder that when agriculture and energy work together, they can create real solutions for both people and the planet.

Ethanol as More Than Fuel

A moment from the Summit that stayed with me was a conversation with Sophie Odupoy, Director, Public Affairs at KOKO Networks, who spoke about the transition to ethanol as a household cooking fuel in Kenya. She described how deforestation and coal-based fuels have caused severe air pollution, leading to major health and environmental issues.

After her panel, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sophie one-on-one. She shared how communities that switched to ethanol are noticing cleaner air and better health. People are literally breathing easier. Word of mouth alone has inspired more families to make the switch. It was powerful to see how ethanol isn’t just a climate solution, it’s a human one too, and further exemplifies the multifaceted benefits of ethanol.

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Leaving GES, I felt proud to be part of an industry tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time. Behind every breakthrough are farmers, scientists, and innovators proving what’s possible when agriculture and technology work together. READ MORE