Thursday, February 24, 2011

20110224 0913 Biofuels Related News.

KINGSMAN: 55 PCT C/S BRAZIL CANE FOR ETHANOL
DUBAI, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A Kingsman SA analyst said 55 percent of the centre/south Brazilian crop in 2011/12 was projected to be used for ethanol production and 45 percent for sugar.
This compared with an estimate of 55.3 percent for ethanol and 44.7 percent for sugar in 2010/11," Patricia Luis-Manso told Reuters on the sidelines of the Feb. 19-22 Kingsman Dubai sugar conference.

U.S. ETHANOL INVESTMENTS SLOW, FACE UNCERTAINTY
PHOENIX, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Investment dollars for new U.S. ethanol plants are coming, but slowly, and uncertainty over U.S. government policy complicates efforts to jump-start broad industry growth, particularly for newer cellulosics, industry experts said this week.
A round of new loan guarantees from the federal government are helpful, but is not enough to substantially boost lender and investor confidence. And moves in recent days by Washington lawmakers to block federal funding of ethanol expansion only adds to investor nervousness.

BRAZIL ETHANOL CONSUMPTION TO FALL IN 2011-DATAGRO
SAO PAULO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Ethanol consumption in Brazil should fall in the 2011/12 season as high sugar prices buoy prices of the fuel, making it less competitive than gasoline at filling stations, Datagro analysts said on Monday.
Demand for the cane-based fuel has soared since 2003 when automakers launched their first flex-fuel cars which can run on any mixture of gasoline and hydrous ethanol, according to Datagro. They now account for nearly all sales of new cars.

ETHANOL EXECS FEAR U.S. BUDGET CUTS TO HURT GROWTH
PHOENIX, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Budget cuts by Congress and fresh fears about food security are among many obstacles threatening growth of U.S. ethanol, according to industry leaders.
Investments into expanded ethanol production remain stymied by uncertainty about how U.S. tax and energy policy will impact the industry, and access to markets is limited in part by state regulatory barriers to the use of higher level ethanol blends, industry experts said on Monday.

ITALY 2010 BIODIESEL OUTPUT DOWN TO 731,844 T
MILAN, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Biodiesel output in Italy, a major European Union producer, fell 8 percent in 2010 as some firms halted or sharply reduced production while imports jumped 38 percent, data from the industry body and companies showed.
Italian biodiesel makers, who use mostly imported raw materials including palm oil and rapeseed, were hit hard in 2010 by cheap imported fuel, which sometimes costs less than their raw materials, industry experts have said.

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