Council Underscores Efficacy Of Ethanol At Regional Events In Australia, Thailand

The U.S. Grains Council’s (USGC’s) Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEA&O) office recently participated in two simultaneous renewable fuels events, giving presentations and partaking in panel discussions covering the role of renewable fuels like ethanol in decarbonizing road and aviation transport. The events took place in Australia and Thailand, respectively – spanning a geographical distance of 4,500 miles.

Chris Markey, SEA&O assistant regional director, represented the Council at the 2023 Australian Renewable Fuels Week in Brisbane, Australia, where he gave a presentation on global fuel ethanol policy developments and participated in a renewable transport fuel panel where he underlined the critical role policy plays in creating the demand and certainty required for the rollout of cleaner fuel industries which provide countries like Australia.

“Australia, which currently exports the majority of its ethanol feedstock, is uniquely positioned to capture these massive opportunities through the formation and implementation of sound clean fuel policy that will drive domestic investment and demand in clean fuels such as ethanol,” Markey said.

Australian Renewable Fuels Week 2023 was a four-day event including a two-day dedicated conference focusing on the opportunities and significant potential of Australia’s renewable liquid fuel, sustainable aviation fuel and renewable gas industries. Attendees included key stakeholders across the Australian fuel, automobile, aviation, manufacturing and agriculture industries, as well as provincial and federal government stakeholders.

Caleb Wurth, SEA&O regional director, and Aaron Goh, USGC regional ethanol consultant, represented the Council at a Regional Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Technologies Workshop jointly hosted by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop allowed participants to gain insights from experts on various aspects of SAF, including production, logistics, technology and commercial considerations.

Wurth delivered a presentation on the production of SAF through the alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) pathway, emphasizing the significant role of corn ethanol as a sustainable and readily available feedstock for SAF. With the aviation industry’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, ATJ is expected to form a substantial portion of the SAF supply, wherein corn ethanol can serve as a dependable and cost-effective feedstock.

The event generated pointed discussions regarding the challenges faced by air carrier operators in Southeast Asia, especially the availability and affordability of SAF compared to conventional jet fuel. Expensive feedstock was identified as the primary factor currently contributing to this relatively high cost of SAF.

The U.S. corn ethanol industry is actively pursuing decarbonization strategies to reduce its carbon intensity and move closer to achieving real net-zero emissions. Wurth reiterated that all potential ATJ feedstocks must be considered neutrally and weighed objectively by policymakers to allow SAF supply to scale up and meet the industry’s climate goals.

SEA&O continues to be a major growth area for fuel ethanol use in both road and aviation, with Australia and Thailand, in particular, signaling interest and support for the ATJ SAF pathway using ethanol as a blend stock. Two ethanol-to-jet facilities – a $265 million facility in Queensland and a second facility in Western Australia – were recently announced in Australia, and Thailand regulators have stated their intent to promote ethanol production for Thailand’s planned domestic SAF industry.