Biomass News

Japanese renewable energy company Renova Inc. has confirmed that its 75-megawatt Omaezakikou Biomass Power Plant will return to service in October, following several months of downtime caused by equipment failure. The facility, situated at the Port of Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture at the entrance to Suruga Bay, runs on a mix of wood pellets and palm kernel shells. Operations at the plant…
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  Saica Group, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of recycled paper for corrugated cardboard and sustainable packaging, officially inaugurated a new biomass boiler at its Champblain-Laveyron site in France on 19 September. Following similar projects at the Venizel and Nogent-sur-Seine sites, it is Saica’s third biomass boiler installation in France. The boiler primarily uses…
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The European Commission has approved a €7.9 billion budget increase to Germany’s State aid scheme for electricity production from biomass and biogas, under EU State aid rules. The scheme, first approved in December 2022, is designed to support renewable energy production and encourage greater flexibility in the German power market. The amendment will expand the tender volume and introduce a…
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More than 400 organisations, businesses and landowners representing the US forestry sector have called on Donald Trump to take urgent action to support the industry amid widespread mill closures, natural disasters, pests, diseases and challenging foreign trade conditions. The coalition, including the American Biomass Energy Association and the Pellet Fuels Institute, sent a letter on 8…
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Japanese petrochemical group Kaneka has started construction of its first biomass steam facility in Malaysia, in partnership with renewable energy developer BAC Renewable Energy (BACRE). The ground-breaking took place yesterday (11 September) at Kaneka Malaysia’s site in the Gebeng Industrial Estate. The RM 31 million (€6.9m) plant is due to begin operations in the third quarter of…
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Woodsure, the organisation behind the UK’s only wood fuel quality assurance scheme, has secured a new contract to manage the Biomass Suppliers List (BSL) on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The organisation, which has overseen the BSL since 2021, will now continue to manage the scheme until 2027, with options to extend to 2029. Under…
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Mast Reforestation has completed what it describes as the world’s largest single biomass storage project, burying more than 10 million pounds of fire-killed trees in south-central Montana in the US. The project – known as Mast Wood Preserve MT1 – combines post-wildfire reforestation with engineered biomass burial, marking a significant development in carbon dioxide removal (CDR)…
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Japanese engineering group Taihei Dengyo Kaisha Ltd (TYO:1968) has approved plans to construct a nearly 2-MW biomass-fired power facility in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture. The project, to be managed through the company’s wholly owned subsidiary Murakami Green Power LLC, will use woody biomass as its fuel source. Construction is expected to begin in March 2026, with commissioning scheduled…
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Acorn Bioenergy has unveiled Winchester’s first biomethane production facility, marking a major milestone in the region’s transition to clean energy and sustainable agriculture. The new renewable anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Three Maids Hill will convert farm waste and locally grown crops into green gas, delivering low-carbon heat to thousands of homes while reducing agricultural…
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South Korean renewable energy company Biofriends has signed an initial agreement with local biogas producer Cheongmyeong to construct the country’s first commercial-scale biomethanol plant. The facility will use biogas from Biofriends’ Gunsan digester to produce between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes of biomethanol a year. Around 120,000Nm³ of domestically generated biogas will be converted…
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A new white paper from energy consultancy FutureMetrics LLC suggests that converting US coal-fired power plants to burn wood pellets could help address an anticipated shortfall in electricity capacity over the next decade. Authored by FutureMetrics President William Strauss, the report highlights a projected rise in US electricity demand of 175 gigawatts (GW), driven in part by increased…
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Drax Group is facing a formal investigation by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over the accuracy of its past disclosures. The watchdog confirmed it has opened an inquiry into statements made by the North Yorkshire-based firm between January 2022 and March 2024 regarding the sourcing of wood used in its biomass operations. The review will also examine whether Drax’s annual…
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U.S. manufacturers produced around 900,000 tonnes of densified biomass fuels in April, according to the latest Monthly Densified Biomass Fuels Report published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Sales for the month totalled 790,000 tonnes. The figures were drawn from 75 operating manufacturers of densified biomass fuel. Facilities with annual production capacities below 10,000…
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Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy has struck a partnership with the Japanese government to accelerate the development of biomass and hydrogen technologies, aiming to cut emissions and bolster energy security. Announced on 24 August, the collaboration will provide funding and technical expertise for Japanese research projects focused on commercialising biofuels and advancing low-carbon…
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