Last week, U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) Regional Ethanol Manager for the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Canada Stephanie Larson and USGBC ethanol sector members met with public and private representatives in Portugal and the U.K. to improve U.S. ethanol’s market presence.
“In Portugal, the Council is seeking to learn more about the biofuels sector in the country, including the potential for ethanol in the Portuguese market as part of the country’s energy transition,” Larson said.
“This was also the Council’s first mission to the U.K. since the U.S.-U.K. Economic Prosperity Deal was announced in 2025, creating an opportunity to engage more directly with the market and identifying key individuals and organizations that can serve as a catalyst for changes in policy, especially for crop-based ethanol.”
Larson was joined by Kansas Corn CEO Josh Roe and POET Vice President of Corporate Affairs Doug Berven to offer a complete perspective of the U.S. ethanol industry during meetings.
Among the group’s agenda items in Lisbon were meetings with the National Association of Corn and Sorghum Producers (ANPROMIS), the National Entity for the Energy Sector (ENSE) and the National Laboratory of Energy and Geology (LNEG) to discuss the current state of biofuel use in Portugal.
Portugal is an E5 market but effectively blends at roughly three percent, although there is interest in moving to E10 that could stimulate demand for ethanol and create new market opportunities due to a lack of domestic production in the country.
The focus of meetings in London was sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), on-road applications and the potential for ethanol as a sustainable marine fuel, all points of interest for the U.K. government as it seeks to reduce the country’s carbon emissions.
The delegation first met with the U.K. Department for Transport (DfT) to hear updates on its expert working group exploring whether ethanol blending in petrol can be increased beyond E10 there along with the recent call for evidence on crop-derived SAF production under the U.K.’s SAF Mandate. Next, the delegation met with Valero Energy, a USGBC member, to discuss its work in the U.K. and EU and how it is preparing for potential new demand.
Finally, the team spoke to LanzaJet and Fuels Industry U.K. to discuss private sector preparation for higher SAF usage and how the U.S. ethanol industry can support the U.K.’s needs.
“The U.K. is a vital ethanol market for U.S. producers that still has a growing appetite, both in the potential for higher on-road blending rates and expanding demand areas like SAF and maritime,” Larson said.
“With the U.S. industry’s existing relationship with buyers and end-users in the U.K., supporting policy changes encouraging ethanol use will quickly create additional sales for U.S. producers.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in ethanol on the organization’s website