Argus adds new ethanol assessments as Asian blending demand grows

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Apr 01, 2013, 10:00 ET

SINGAPORE, April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy price reporting agency Argus has launched three new Asian ethanol assessments to meet the growing demand for transparency in the market.

The new assessments will complement Argus' existing fob Pakistan and fob Thailand ethanol price assessments as countries mandate increased ethanol blending in transport fuel. The daily assessments are specifically for hydrous ethanol loading from Pakistan, fuel grade anhydrous ethanol delivered to the Philippines and B-grade ethanol delivered to northeast Asia, namely to Japan and South Korea.

The new assessments reflect a projected rise in demand and trade for ethanol in Asia-Pacific, as ethanol blending mandates in gasoline increase in the Philippines and Thailand. Fresh demand prospects are also emerging from India. Fuel ethanol represents the bulk of ethanol trading, but Asian non-fuel ethanol demand is also growing, with the highest consumption in Japan and South Korea from the beverage and industrial sectors. Pakistan is becoming an increasingly important supply source and attracts interest from many Asia-Pacific importers.

The new assessments will provide a useful reference for the growing number of traders, brokers, planners, analysts, risk managers and strategic decision makers following this market. Argus spot market price assessments are expected to be used by governments, regulators, oil companies with ethanol and biofuel operations, chemical companies, commodity firms, beverage companies and exchanges.

"Ethanol and other biofuels are increasingly significant sources of energy for transport, and Argus has taken the lead in bringing price transparency to this growing market, particularly in Asia," Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said.

The new price assessments are published daily in Argus Biofuels, a global report covering various biofuel prices including assessments for Renewable Energy Directive (RED) compliant ethanol.

Media contacts:

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Jim Nicholson
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Seana Lanigan
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Gabriela Alcocer
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About Argus Media

Argus is an independent media organisation with nearly 500 full-time staff. It is headquartered in London and has offices in each of the world's principal energy centres. Its main activities comprise publishing market reports containing price assessments, market commentary and news, and business intelligence reports that analyse market and industry trends.

More than half of Argus' staff are commodity journalists who specialise in reporting news and price information relating to physical energy and related commodity markets.

They operate according to a rigorous Editorial Code of Conduct and an Ethics Policy that align with best journalistic practice, including the avoidance of conflicts of interest. Argus is a leading provider of data on prices and fundamentals, news, analysis, consultancy services and conferences for the global crude, oil products, natural gas, electricity, coal, emissions, bioenergy, fertilizer, petrochemical and transportation industries. Data provided by Argus are widely used for indexation of physical trade. Companies, governments and international agencies also use Argus information for analysis and planning purposes.

Argus has 19 offices globally, including London, Houston, Washington, New York, Calgary, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Dubai, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, Moscow, Astana and other key centres of the energy industry. Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company.