Biomass News

Greenko Energy Holdings, an affiliate of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC, has proposed acquisition of Indian renewable energy company Greenko Group’s majority interest in its Mauritius-based holding firm, Greenko Mauritius, for about £162.8 million (€222.7 million). Greenko is a mainstream participant in the growing Indian renewable energy industry and a market…
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The European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) has released its annual statistical report, providing an outlook on European bioenergy for 2015. According to the report, bioenergy accounts for more than 60% of all renewable energy consumed in Europe's 28 member countries. 'Today, bioenergy is by far the leading renewable energy source in Europe, accounting for 61.2% of all RES energy consumed,'…
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Poland can increase its share of renewable energy in power generation from 7% in 2010 to nearly 38% by 2030, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). REmap 2030 Renewable Energy Prospects for Poland, prepared with input from the Polish Ministry of Economy, also finds the share of renewable energy in total final energy consumption can more than double to…
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Biomass Supplies (Pvt), a company based in Sri Lanka, has earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for biomass produced from branches pruned from live fences of Gliricidia trees. The certification covers Biomass Supplies' work with 30,000 small farmers who have planted 60 million new trees on their fences. Gliricidia is a fast-growing, short-rotation tree found…
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The ReEnergy Black River biomass power facility has begun to deliver behind-the-meter electricity to Fort Drum, enhancing the post's energy security by allowing it to be independent from the electrical grid. The interconnection, a $15 million (€13.5 million) project that connected the power plant to Fort Drum's two substations, was required under the terms of ReEnergy Black River's 20-year…
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CoGen has reached financial close and started construction on Ince Bio Power, a 21.5MW waste biomass project in Protos, Cheshire, UK. The Ince Bio Power project is the fourth such biomass power project by developer CoGen and follows the projects of Birmingham Bio Power in the West Midlands, Welland Bio Power in Northamptonshire and Dartmoor Bio Power in Plymouth. Ince Bio Power is the first of a…
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Following the acquisition of biotechnology company Virdia last year, Stora Enso is building a demonstration and market development plant at Raceland, Louisiana, US.  The new plant will become the Stora Enso Biomaterials divisions’ US headquarters. It uses technology developed by Virdia and enables cellulosic biomass, such as wood or agricultural waste, to be converted into highly…
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PrecisionHawk, a terrestrial data acquisition and analysis company, and Genera Energy have partnered to develop new analysis algorithms specific to improving the efficiency and quality of sustainable biomass crop production and distribution. The algorithms will convert raw aerial imagery collected by drones and satellites into an actionable report for biomass crop farmers. The tools will be…
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Downing, a London-based investment management firm, has recently agreed terms for a £20 million (€27.8m) pipeline of biomass installations with Strand Energy. Under the terms of the agreement, Downing and Strand will form a joint venture – Strand Energy (Biomass) – to invest in biomass heating installations. The joint venture has an initial target of £20 million of…
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Veolia, through its subsidiary Veolia Japan, has been awarded two contracts to operate two biomass-fired power plants in northern Japan, in partnership with local environmental services company Takeei. These two contracts, both of which have been signed for 20 years, represent total revenue of €90 million for Veolia. The facilities, which are located in the cities of Hirakawa and Hanamaki in…
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Operations have started at Hitachi Zosen Corp.'s 3 billion yen (€22.7 million) Miyanosato biomass-fired power plant in Hitachiota City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Hitachi Zosen has been building the plant, with a power output of 5,750kW, since 2013. The new facility will process waste wood, a material that is abundantly available in Ibaraki due to the large forestry industry. Approximately…
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Hamrick Engineering, a US-based start-up, has received a broad patent for extracting sugars and nanocellulose from lignocellulosic biomass by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This new technology uses an environmentally benign technique of vacuum infusion of hydrolysis catalysts into biomass. ‘This ground-breaking patent describes how to extract sugars and nanocellulose from…
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Babcock & Wilcox Vølund, a Danish thermal energy producer, has ordered a state-of-the-art biomass handling system from Saxlund, part of the Swedish Opcon Group. The system will be delivered to Babcock & Wilcox Vølund’s (BWV) Templeborough Biomass Power Plant in Sheffield, UK. The scope of the order is the design, manufacturing, delivery, and commissioning of a dual…
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Aalborg Energie Technik, a Danish biomass engineering company, has received an order for the conversion of Østkraft's 20-year-old boiler plant to combust biomass instead of coal. The conversion and rebuilding with installation and commissioning will take place from July to September 2016. After the conversion the plant will be capable of firing any combination of feedstock between 100%…
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