by Kate Abnett (Reuters) The European Union's climate commissioner on Thursday reaffirmed EU plans to end sales of CO2-emitting cars in 2035 and tighten CO2 limits next year, after pressure from some governments and carmakers to reconsider the policies. The EU has
Czech Republic
Back TO HOMEORLEN Launches Sales of HVO100
(Biofuels International) The ORLEN Group has initiated sales of its HVO100 fuel at two service stations in Germany. ... The introduction of this fuel to the Polish market will be possible once the ongoing legislative work on quality requirements is completed. HVO100
October 03, 2024 Read Full Article
Hyundai Motor and Škoda Group to Collaborate on Hydrogen Advancement and Energy Efficient Solutions for Mobility
(Hyudai Motor) Hyundai Motor Company and Škoda Group sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during the Korea-Czech Business Summit in Prague; Both parties to cooperate in establishing a hydrogen economy and realizing a sustainable future mobility ecosystem; Škoda Group to explore hydrogen mobility
September 27, 2024 Read Full Article
OMV Starts up Co-processing Plant at Schwechat Refinery
(OMV) Up to 160,000 metric tons of liquid biomass per year to be converted into high quality renewable diesel blending component, also be used for the newest generation of OMV’s MaxxMotion Diesel; Almost EUR 200 mn invested in OMV Schwechat refinery; OMV carbon
July 11, 2024 Read Full Article
Bears, Cars and Angry Farmers Fuel Green Backlash
by Karl Mathiesen, Nicolas Camut, Zia Weise, Charlie Cooper and Louise Guillot (Politico) A 28-country guide to how climate policies are splitting Europe. -- And Green parties are taking the hit — polling shows they will face deep electoral pain when EU citizens
March 09, 2024 Read Full Article
Shell Sees Rising Value in German Biomethane Market
by Vera Eckert (Reuters) Germany could play big role in Shell's biomethane plans; Evisages its own plants in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony; Clients want to lower their carbon footprint -- Shell (SHEL.L) expects growth in German biomethane markets where its client base seeks decarbonised energy and
February 27, 2024 Read Full Article
Czech Railways Will Test Biodiesel in Pesa Bydgoszcz Vehicles
(Kolejowy (Google Translation)) České dráhy will start testing diesel fuel with increased content of sustainable biofuel based on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) in new 847 class diesel units supplied by Pesa Bydgoszcz. The partner of this project in the field of fuel
December 22, 2023 Read Full Article
State Aid: Commission Approves €2.4 Billion Czech Scheme
(European Commission) The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2.4 billion Czech scheme to support the construction and operation of new or converted sustainable biomethane production plants. The measure will contribute to the implementation of Czechia's National Energy
November 01, 2023 Read Full Article
Eight European Countries Block Ambitious Euro 7 Emissions Plan
by Peter Holderith (The Drive) ... The extremely stringent Euro 7 emissions regulations could be blocked in the European Union after it was announced Monday that eight countries signed a letter objecting to the legislation's passage. These countries constitute a large
May 22, 2023 Read Full Article
New University Study: Ethanol Cuts Gas Prices by 77 Cents per Gallon
(Renewable Fuels Association) Adding low-cost ethanol to the nation’s gasoline supply improves energy security and saves the average American household more than $750 per year, according to a new study conducted by energy economists from the University of California-Berkeley and leading universities in
February 28, 2023 Read Full Article
Biogas and Biomethane Firmly on European IOC Radar
(Energy Intelligence) ... US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). BP, for example, says buying US renewable gas specialist Archaea Energy last year gives it strong potential in a “key fast-growing geography for biogas.” IRA has been a “game changer” in underpinning projects
February 22, 2023 Read Full Article
Nine EU Countries Want Low-Carbon Hydrogen Included in Bloc’s Renewables Goals
by Paul Messad (EURACTIV France) Nine EU member states, including France, have called on the European Commission to include low-carbon hydrogen – produced from nuclear electricity – in the EU’s renewable hydrogen targets. France, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary
February 10, 2023 Read Full Article
German Pipeline Firms Say They Will 'Make Hydrogen Happen' in 2025
by Vera Eckert (Reuters) Germany's Gascade, Ontras and terranets have agreed to convert high-pressure gas pipelines to transport low-carbon hydrogen from the Baltic Sea all the way the south of the country by 2025, the companies said on Thursday. The three pipeline
December 23, 2022 Read Full Article
Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine Launches Online “Biomethane Talks”
(Bioenergy Insight) The Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine (GTSOU) has launched a series of online meetings as part of a project entitled "Biomethane talks" with business representatives, experts and government agencies. During the first discussion on the topic "Biomethane industry:
December 20, 2022 Read Full Article
Germany Says No to EU’s 2035 ICE Ban, Others May Follow
by Peter Holderith (The Drive) The three largest economies in the European Union are showing strong opposition to the ambitious 2035 target. Germany's finance minister Christian Lindner said Tuesday that the nation will not agree to the European Union's 2035 ban on internal combustion-powered
June 23, 2022 Read Full Article
Commission Aims to Decarbonise Transport by Equally Taxing Fossil and Crop-Based Biofuels
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) Decarbonising Europe’s transport has always been a tough equation for EU policymakers. However, the puzzle is expected to become even more complex as the European Commission is considering taxing fossil fuels and crop-based biofuels at the same
February 11, 2022 Read Full Article
GE Aviation Looks to Test Catalyst Using 100% SAF
by Jerry Siebenmark (AIN Online) Through a partnership with the Czech Technical University in Prague (CVUT), GE Aviation Czech will begin testing in 2022 the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in its new Catalyst turboprop engine. The goal of the
December 29, 2021 Read Full Article
Auto Industry Commits to All-Electric, but Hybrids Make Powerful Interim Case; Report
by Neil Winton (Forbes) As politicians declare their love for clean electric cars and fall over themselves to be the first to ban the sale of allegedly dirty, climate threatening new fossil-fuel powered ones, a report from Emissions Analytics suggests hybrids could
October 05, 2021 Read Full Article
Paris Public Transit Operator Orders Clean Energy Buses for Île-de-France
(Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens/NGV Journal) The RATP Group (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) announced a second large-scale order from the Bus2025 program, which aims to renew Île-de-France Mobilités’ (organization authority that coordinates transit companies operating in the Paris-area public transport
August 04, 2021 Read Full Article
DHL Expands LNG Truck Fleet, Explores Bio-LNG Potential
(Bioenergy Insight) DHL Supply Chain is expanding its fleet of environmentally friendly LNG gas trucks, transporting car parts from the Czech Republic to Germany. The three new tractor units running on LNG put into operation in October 2020 will now
July 27, 2021 Read Full Article
Transport Energy & Renewables in the EU – What the Latest Commission Data Tells Us
by James Cogan (Ethanol Europe/Biofuels Digest) ... Oil maintains an overwhelming grip on the sector with a steady 94% share. The rest is biofuels with 5.6% and renewable electricity with 0.6%. Three quarters of the extra energy demand over the
April 07, 2021 Read Full Article
PKN ORLEN to Be Emission-Neutral by 2050
(Orlen) PKN ORLEN is the first oil company in Central Europe to declare aspiration to achieve emission neutrality by 2050. In order to reach this goal, by 2030 the company will reduce CO2 emissions from its current refining and petrochemical assets by
September 11, 2020 Read Full Article
V4+ Countries Warn of Ulterior Motives for Seeking Biofuel Blending Cuts in Eastern Europe
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Hungary, although the European Union committed to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels by 2020, one spectacular last subsidy is now in the works in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Biofuel producers from the
March 27, 2020 Read Full Article
Vow ASA Enters Plastic to Fuel Deal with Test Plant in the Oil Refining and Petrochemical Industry
(Vow ASA/Globe Newswire) Vow ASA, through its subsidiary ETIA, has been awarded a contract to provide a pyrolysis testing unit for processing of waste plastics and polymers for Unipetrol in the Czech Republic. Unipetrol is a part of PKN ORLEN
February 27, 2020 Read Full Article
NuSeed Acquires Agrisoma Carinata Assets
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Louisiana, longtime industry executive Glenn Johnston said that NuSeed has acquired the carinata assets of Canadian agricultural pioneer Agrisoma. Johnston was speaking at the IATA Sustainable Aviation Fuels Symposium in New Orleans and confirmed that five
November 26, 2019 Read Full Article
Hollywood Sends Materials to Anaerobic Digester, Poop to Paper, Hydrogen from Seawater, Kanye’s algae foam kicks, Hellman’s seaweedSsachets, and More: The Digest’s Top 10 Innovations for the Week of November 15th
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Even Hollywood is going green these days with the latest Bond movie sending 30 tons of food and biodegradable materials to anaerobic digester to generate electricity! And elephant poop is getting turned into upscale stationary paper.
November 15, 2019 Read Full Article
Students Recognized with 2019 Young Algae Researcher Awards
(Algae Biomass Organization) Four student scientists were recognized with the Algae Biomass Organization’s Young Algae Researcher Awards for their contributions to fields of algae biology and engineering at the 2019 Algae Biomass Summit, held in Orlando, Florida, September 16-19. The awards are
October 03, 2019 Read Full Article
Eastern Europe Backs Locally Produced Biofuels to Save Climate and Farmers
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (EURACTIV.com) Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic have signed a joint declaration saying that Europe will be able to de-carbonise transport through the use of locally produced clean biofuels, which will also boost rural areas and farmers. “We believe
April 17, 2019 Read Full Article
RED Alert -- Canadian Biofuel Lobbying Intensifies
(Politico Brussels Influence) Canadian company Agrisoma Biosiences Inc. is pushing to get “Carinata,” its second generation biofuel, subsidized by the EU and placed on the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) list. The proposal passed the first hearing in the Parliament and
July 10, 2018 Read Full Article
Czech Company to Produce Biofuels from Waste Cooking Oil
by Ruth Fraňková (Radio Praha) The Czech company Chemoprojekt, based in Ústí nad Labem in north Bohemia, is set to launch production of biodiesel made from waste frying oil, the daily Hospodářské noviny reported on Tuesday. It will be the first
June 20, 2018 Read Full Article
NGOs Tell Commission to Listen to Science and Differentiate Biofuels
by Claire Stam (EurActiv) A coalition of Czech and Slovak NGOs has called on the European Commission to draw a line in the Renewable Energy Directive revision (RED II) between more sustainable ethanol and the high greenhouse gas emitting tropical oils. They also said that
May 09, 2018 Read Full Article
As Petroleum Prices, Demand Soars, US, EU Dither on Biofuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... US gasoline prices are at a three-year high, says CNBC. This time, the response has been to dither on biofuels and to point to reasonably dismal sales of EVs as evidence that an electrics solution is on
April 26, 2018 Read Full Article
A New Lithium War Is About To Begin
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) It’s the modern gold rush. Around the world, the most sought-after mineral isn’t a precious metal, nor is it oil and gas…it’s lithium. Lithium, or “white petroleum” as some call it, has become a crucial element in today’s high-tech economy. Demand
April 25, 2018 Read Full Article
The H2020-Funded Project greenGain Was Successfully Completed
(International Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V) The project greenGain was funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union for research, technological development and demonstration under Grant Agreement No 646443. Eight institutions from Germany, Italy, Spain and the
February 27, 2018 Read Full Article
‘Greenwashed Oil’ Set to Win from Renewable Transport Targets, Biofuel Industry Claims
by Paola Tamma (EurActiv) Biofuel producers in the Visegrad countries plus Lithuania and Bulgaria have warned that a phase-out of biofuels will lead to a phase-in of ‘greenwashed’ fossil fuels under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), as it currently stands in
December 14, 2017 Read Full Article
Visegrad and Balkans Hit out at Commission over Biofuels Phase-Out Proposal
by Sarantis Michalopoulos (Euractiv) The Visegrad group and two Balkan countries signed a joint declaration urging the European Commission to reconsider its proposal to gradually phase out first generation biofuels after 2020 and think about the consequences. ... On the other hand, the
September 25, 2017 Read Full Article
Report: Czech Groundwater Pollution Worsening
(Prague Daily Monitor) The quality of groundwater worsened last year as against the previous years as experts found the values exceeding the permitted limits in some of the observed substances in 86.8 percent of the monitored wells and springs, the
August 23, 2017 Read Full Article
MIT Study Estimates That VW's Dieselgate Scandal Will Send 1,200 Europeans To An Early Grave
by David Tracy (Jalopnik) In 2015, Researchers from MIT, Harvard and Hasselt University (in Belgium) estimated that VW’s 482,000 cheating diesels would lead to an estimated 59 premature deaths in the U.S. Now some of those same researchers have taken a
March 08, 2017 Read Full Article
Austria – Biofuels Technology, Research and Development
by Dina Bacovsky, Andrea Sonnleitner (Task39 Newsletter) ... Domestic FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) production in 2014 was 292,009 tonnes based on rapeseed (72%), used cooking oil (19%), animal fat (8%) and fatty acids (1%). The feedstock was sourced mainly from the
January 02, 2017 Read Full Article
Czech Aid for Biofuels Approved by EU to Continue Through 2020
by Ewa Krukowska (Bloomberg) The Czech government won approval from the European Union to continue aid for some biofuels as the bloc seeks to meet a goal of boosting the share of renewable sources in energy consumption. The aid system, which
August 17, 2015 Read Full Article
Finance Minister Calls for End to Tax Support for Biofuel
(Radio Prague) In a dramatic about turn, finance minister Andrej Babiš says he now wants to halt tax support for biofuel from July. He has been stung by charges that prolonging support puts him in a clear conflict of interest
May 11, 2015 Read Full Article
HN: Babiš's Interests behind Czech Gov't Biofuel Support
(Prague Daily Monitor) The Czech government's decision to extend reduced taxation of biofuels seems to be clearly motivated by the fact that Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) wants his oil-seed rape processing plant Preol to be working at full capacity,
March 27, 2015 Read Full Article
A New Source of Biofuel - Leather Sludge
(Reuters) In the Czech Republic, researchers at Tomas Bata University are working with the fat leftovers from leather production called fleshings to produce biodiesel from an otherwise toxic waste. Burning fleshing releases dioxins and nitrogen oxides, leaving few options for
March 04, 2015 Read Full Article
V4 Agriculture Group Urge EU Support for Biofuel
by MTI (Politics.HU) The agricultural chambers of the Visegrad Four countries called on European decision-makers to support sustainable, crop-based biofuels, at a meeting of their leaders in Szekszard in southern Hungary on Monday. The V4 group of the Czech Republic, Hungary,
September 12, 2013 Read Full Article
Ministers Block EU Proposal to Limit Some Biofuels
(EurActiv) Several European ministers are blocking the EU’s proposal to curb the use of conventional biofuels, while some dispute claims the demand for crop-based oils drives deforestation and food insecurity in other parts of the world. A majority of EU environment
March 26, 2013 Read Full Article
University of Arkansas at Monticello Scientists Receive National Science Foundation Grant; Research May Impact Biofuels Industry
(My Monticello News) The study of microscopic algae may seem to have little practical application to those unfamiliar with the science, but a current project being conducted by two University of Arkansas at Monticello scientists could have a far-reaching impact
August 23, 2012 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Feedstock Analysis 2nd Generation of Biofuels
(Mettler - Toledo Int. Inc/Environmental Expert) The main obstacle in biodiesel production from waste fats and oils is their high free fatty acid content. Its precise measurement helps Professor Karel Kolomaznik’s Faculty of Applied Informatics team at Tomas Bata University in Zlín
March 12, 2012 Read Full Article
Chemoprojekt Forms JV for Biodiesel Production
(Biofuels International) Chemoprojekt, a Czech Republic-based company specialising in design, engineering and procurement, has formed a joint venture with Nationwide Asset Management. The 50/50 joint venture has been named FAME Usti nad Labem and will be used for biodiesel production. The new
February 13, 2012 Read Full Article
New Technology Revives Biofuels
(Alpha Galileo) Started three years ago, EQUIMOTOR PLUS, an R&D project financed through the EUREKA initiative, benefited from the brains of some of the brightest researchers in the four corners of Europe. Together, technicians from Spain, the Czech Republic, Finland,