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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has announced the launch of the American Biofuels Trade Outlook, a new publication designed to track and analyze the rapidly evolving global trade landscape for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
The launch comes as the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) maintained its 2026 and 2027 production forecasts for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and SAF in its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released on Sept. 9. The decision to leave the projections unchanged signals a measure of near-term stability in the U.S. biofuels sector even as international trade flows continue to shift.
In a separate milestone for Asian aviation decarbonization, Akasa Air—described as India's fastest-growing airline—successfully completed a commercial flight on Sept. 8 using conventional aviation turbine fuel blended with 1% sustainable aviation fuel, supplied by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. The flight demonstrates the operational feasibility of low-percentage SAF blends on commercial routes and underscores the growing role of state refiners in supplying SAF to regional carriers.
On the technology front, France-based Axens announced on Aug. 31 that it has been selected by Expander Energy Inc., a Canada-based producer of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel, to provide its advanced FT (Fischer-Tropsch) Liquid Upgrading technology. The deal strengthens the commercial pathway for converting synthesis gas into drop-in renewable fuels suitable for aviation and heavy transport.
In a significant trade-policy development, the U.K. Trade Remedies Authority announced on Sept. 10 that it will not impose anti-subsidy duties on imports of renewable diesel from the United States. The Authority concluded that previously proposed duties 'would not be in the U.K.'s economic interests,' effectively preserving a key transatlantic channel for U.S. renewable diesel exports.
Meanwhile, U.S. trade data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on Sept. 3 showed that American exporters shipped 35,517.9 metric tons of biodiesel and biodiesel blends of B30 and greater in July. On the other side of the ledger, U.S. biodiesel imports reached 27,751.9 metric tons during the same month, leaving the country as a net exporter by roughly 7,766 metric tons.
Taken together, these developments—from new U.S. analytical tools and stable EIA forecasts to Asia's first-of-kind SAF commercial flight, a new FT technology partnership in Canada, and a U.K. decision to drop anti-subsidy duties—reflect a global biofuels industry that is simultaneously expanding its production base, diversifying its trade routes, and navigating a more complex regulatory environment.
Source: Biodiesel Magazine