Drax Group has partnered with the National Farmers Union (NFU) of England and Wales to identify opportunities to scale-up perennial energy crop production. The Climate Change Committee previously stated that if the UK is to meet its decarbonisation objectives, a ‘substantial area’ of energy crops must be planted each year to deliver the low carbon renewable fuel... [Read More]

EQTEC has acquired a second decommissioned waste-to-energy plant in Croatia and will convert it into a biomass gasification facility. The 1.2 MWe facility in Karlovac was acquired through Synergy Projects, a joint venture between EQTEC and its Croatian project development partner Sense ESCO. The move follows the company’s recent acquisition of a similar plant in Belišće. Located... [Read More]

Drax Group has started construction on the second of three satellite wood pellet plants in Arkansas. Work is underway at the site in Russellville, Pope County, north-western Arkansas, with commercial operations expected to begin at the plant in 2022. The move is part of a $40 million (€34 million) investment by Drax in the state, creating around 30 new direct jobs... [Read More]

Network Rail has completed work on a £2.1 million (€2.46 million) project to repair and strengthen a bridge used by Drax Group. Aire Bridge in North Yorkshire is used by 100 freight services transporting materials to and from Drax Power Station on average each week. Over the 10-day blockade, Network Rail staff removed more than 100 metres of track so that a new... [Read More]

The foundation stone of Metsä Fibre’s Kemi bioproduct mill was laid on 13 September, with the company confirming the project is progressing according to plan. Totalling €1.6 billion, the investment in the Kemi bioproduct mill is the largest in the history of Finland’s forest industry. Operating entirely without fossil fuels, the mill will produce around 1.5 million... [Read More]

B2B renewable energy supplier Haven Power, part of Drax Group, is changing its name to Drax. Haven Power was acquired by Drax Group in 2009 and supplies more than 20,000 large industrial and commercial customers with over 12 TWh of renewable-sourced electricity annually – equivalent to the annual power use of more than 3 million homes. With the rebrand, Drax aims... [Read More]

Belvedere, a super-premium vodka company, has opened an ‘ambitious’ biomass capture facility on-site in Poland. Belvedere was the first spirits distillery to receive a grant from the European Commission to pilot the unique biomass technology. With the inauguration of the plant on 9 September, three years since it received the grant, Belvedere announced an accelerated... [Read More]

Drax is calling for UK businesses of all sizes to join the UK’s first bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) supplier engagement programme. The company will host a series of nationwide events throughout 2022 in partnership with the West & North Yorkshire and Hull & Chambers of Commerce, as well as further events across the wider North, Midlands,... [Read More]

Enhanced R&D is required on biochar for its full potential to be realised, according to the Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA). The organisation described biochar production and use as an ‘emerging opportunity’ that must be embraced for its full benefit to be realised in addressing a series of challenges across many sectors in Ireland. Biochar could benefit... [Read More]

Several people have been injured in an explosion at Hazlehurst Wood Pellets in Georgia, US. Four employees were sent to hospital, with two having to be airlifted. One of the victims drove to the hospital by private car with a hand injury, WTOC, a Georgia-based news channel, reported. The fire started at approximately 4.30pm. At the time of the incident on 3 September,... [Read More]

Veolia has demonstrated a new way of treating the 25% of green waste that is sent for disposal or re-composting. Veolia currently processes over 500,000 tonnes of green and food waste annually, derived from a nationwide network of 11 composting sites that produce over 250,000 tonnes per year. Previously, around 25% of green waste ended up as oversize after composting,... [Read More]

A biomass plant in Barry, Wales, is facing enforcement action after several discrepancies were found with its plans. According to Barry and District News, Vale of Glamorgan Council could force developers to close down and demolish the site, under planning rules. The wood-burning power plant has been built but is not yet fully operational. However, council officers... [Read More]

A project to facilitate more planting of Miscanthus has been awarded over £150,000 (€174,000) of UK Government funding. Miscanthus specialist, Terravesta, received the funding through the government’s Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme, to help contribute to 2050 net-zero targets. Terravesta was successful in its bid to secure Phase 1 funding for its OMENZ... [Read More]

The Irish Bioenergy Association (IrBEA) has expressed frustration over the recent Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) consultation. IrBEA believes that the additional value of renewable electricity generation from bioenergy ahead of intermittent generation, in terms of continuous supply and grid stability, is not recognised in the RESS system. The RESS system... [Read More]

Equis Development Pte (Equis), a major renewable energy and waste infrastructure developer in Asia-Pacific, has secured $282 million (€239 million) to build a biomass plant in Japan. Equis will build the 50 MW Niigata East Port Biomass Power Plant in Niigata, a port city on Honshu, Japan’s main island. The financing was committed by 14 syndication banks and insurance... [Read More]