British company Active Energy Group (AEG) has applied to the state Division of Air Quality to build and operate a wood pellet plant in Lumberton, North Carolina. Work is progressing at AEG's commercial hub at the Lumberton site to facilitate the commercial production of CoalSwitchTM and second-generation biomass pellets. According to the company, during the last 90... [Read More]

GE has announced it will provide renewable steam technology for the high-efficiency Kamisu Biomass Power Generation plant in Japan. Under a contract signed with Hitachi Zosen, which will act as the project’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, GE’s Steam Power division will design, manufacture and supply the core components of the project’s... [Read More]

Grants for four projects to support forestry contractors and boost wood pellet production worth $2.7 million (€2.44 million) have been allocated by the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia (BC). The grants will help to increase the use of wood fibre that otherwise would have been burned. Doug Donaldson, the Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations... [Read More]

Germany bioenergy firm innogy has sold is German biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plant and wood pellet production facility to Cycleenergy. Cycleenergy operates three biomass plants and two pellet production facilities in Austria. It also plans, finances and builds decentralised, base-load capable energy solutions in Austria and its neighbouring countries. The... [Read More]

British Columbia, Canada-based firm Skeena Bioenergy is donating industrial wood pellets to local communities due to a shortage. In response to the ‘significant local need’ for home heating pellets, the company has partnered with the Kitsumkalum Economic Development Group to host a ‘Community Pellet Day’. In a statement, the company said: “On Saturday, February... [Read More]

Nevada, US-based NV Energy is requesting proposals to add new renewable energy projects to its portfolio. The company is seeking proposals for all areas of renewables, including biomass, biogas, wind, solar and geothermal, which are compliant with Nevada’s existing renewable portfolio standards. The announcement follows the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada’s... [Read More]

Danish biomass boiler firm Aalborg Energie Technik (AET) has secured a contract to help build a poultry manure-fired plant in Turkey. AET will assist Gülsan Holding’s subsidiaryMAV Elektrik with the project to create cleaner air, prevent water and soil contamination and provide a commercial income from poultry manure, which was previously seen as a waste product. The... [Read More]

A new biomass boiler plant at UPM Joensuu Plywood Mill in Finland has improved the facility’s energy efficiency, environmental performance and safety. The plant utilises wood waste from plywood production and has resulted in lower fuel consumption per heat output and lower emissions compared with the previous power plant. The flue gases from combustion pass through... [Read More]

Pinnacle Renewable Energy has announced a new ship charter for Trans-Pacific transport of its industrial wood pellets. A ship christening and launching ceremony was held in the Shikoku Dockyard in Takamatsu City, Japan, for the S1130, a Handy class vessel of almost 40,000 deadweight-tonnage named M/V New pinnacle. The company will charter the vessel from NYK Bulk &... [Read More]

A 10-day fire that broke out at a wood chipping facility in Yorkshire, UK in 2014 was the “biggest fire in 11 years”, according to the firefighters who tackled the blaze. The fire, which was caused by 7,000 tonnes of poorly-stored wood chippings, created vast plumes of smoke that could be smelled 16 miles away in the city of Sheffield. Around 45 firefighters –... [Read More]

Southern California Gas (SoCalGas) and Calgren Dairy Fuels have announced that four additional dairy farms have started sending manure-derived methane to Calgren’s biogas operation in Pixley, California. Calgren processes the methane into high-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) before it is injected into SoCalGas’ system. The Calgren biogas facility now collects... [Read More]

A major biomass facility in Wales, UK is undergoing its final phase of testing with developers. Construction of Barry Biomass initially began in 2016; the operators now hope the 86,000 tonnes-per-year capacity facility will become fully operational in 2020. Developers are currently testing waste wood fuel in the form of wood chips. Once fully operational, the plant... [Read More]

Danish biomass firm Linka Energy has acquired Weiss, a French company specialising in advising and servicing biomass and waste-based boilers. Weiss has previously supplied many customised energy plants using both biomass and other waste products; however, in recent “turbulent” years, it has not taken on new projects. The firm still owns all technical and design... [Read More]

Just over 1.6% of the UK’s agricultural land was used to grow bioenergy crops for use in transport fuel, electricity and biogas production in 2018. Recent statistics from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) revealed that a total of 94,000 hectares (ha) of land were used to grow crops for bioenergy. However, the overall land area used to... [Read More]

A UK wood recycler has been fined £15,000 (€17,500) after investigators found it was storing nearly four times as much waste as permitted by law. The Environment Agency estimated that the firm, Red Jon, held 1,790 tonnes of wood at its site in Oxfordshire, whereas it was only permitted to store 500 tonnes in one place over a seven-day period. The piles of wood posed... [Read More]