Global Ethanol Association. Image Credit: Global Ethanol Association

• Global Ethanol Association and DNV agree a three-year data partnership
• GEA to build a structured global ethanol fuel database
• Data to be integrated into DNV's Alternative Fuels Insight platform
• Aim is greater visibility on ethanol production and feedstocks

The Global Ethanol Association (GEA) and class society DNV have launched a three-year Ethanol Data Intelligence Partnership.

Under the agreement, GEA will develop and provide ethanol fuel data intelligence that will be integrated into DNV's Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, the two said in a joint statement on Monday.

The work is intended to build a structured global ethanol database, mapping production facilities and their locations, production capacities, feedstocks, and output categories from a fuel-grade perspective, drawing on publicly available and verifiable sources.

The stated aim is to improve visibility and transparency across the ethanol industry and reduce information gaps for buyers weighing the fuel.

"Through this collaboration we are establishing the research infrastructure needed to map ethanol production facilities globally from a fuel-grade perspective, and transform fragmented information into structured and traceable market intelligence," said GEA president Sylvain Zurcher.

"Our objective is to help reduce information asymmetries for market participants and support better-informed decisions across the ethanol value chain."

For DNV, the value is in extending the alternative-fuels data its maritime customers already rely on.

"This new data intelligence from GEA will enable our AFI customers to explore new shipping fuel pathways with confidence," said Nathaniel Frithiof, sales lead for digital products at DNV.

Ethanol has drawn growing interest as a marine fuel, with the first orders for ethanol-fuelled deep-sea engines placed this year, and GEA runs a dedicated marine sector initiative alongside its aviation work.