Biomass News

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) have released the MACRO: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity funding opportunity announcement (FOA). The FOA will award up to $18.8 million (€17.5 million) to address research and development (R&D) challenges in converting algae, such as seaweeds and other…
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Australian listed company Foresta has announced the signing of a 30-year lease (with a 20 year right of renewal) on a 9.6 ha property in Kawerau, New Zealand, with local iwi-owned Putauaki Trust, reported the NZ Herald. Foresta plans to invest some $300 million in building the plant, which at full production, it said will employ more than 100 workers. The planned plant will also produce natural…
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TEXEL Energy is further investing in Jord AB, and simultaneously, the companies have signed an agreement to adapt TEXEL’s energy production technology to generate electricity from Jord’s pellets and briquettes, made from C4 grass. Jord’s ambition is to cultivate the world’s fastest-growing biomass (C4 grass) at various locations around the globe to convert it into renewable fuel in the…
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Charwood Energy, a French company specialising in tailor-made solutions for the energy valorisation of biomass, has announced the signing of a contract for the installation and commissioning of a biomass boiler. It will be installed in a sawmill in the Ille-et-Vilaine region of France. The contract covers the replacement and modernisation of a heating system used to dry lumber and timber at a…
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RENOVA's Ishinomaki Hibarino biomass power plant commenced operation on 28 March this year. The facility has a generation capacity of 75.0 MW and is fueled by wood pellets and palm kernel shells. Preparations for the unit were made by Ishinomaki Hibarino Biomass Energy G.K., which is jointly funded by RENOVA, Prominet Power Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd., United…
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The European Commission has approved a €900 million French scheme to support companies investing in the use of biomass and renewable hydrogen in energy and fuel production, to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March…
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Terragia Biofuel, a technology startup aiming to drive the next generation of biofuels, has raised a $6 million (€5.5 million) seed round led by Engine Ventures and Energy Impact Partners (EIP). The company will use the capital to commercialise its novel biology-based approach to converting cellulosic biomass into ethanol and other products, expand its employee headcount and initiate…
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The Toombs County Development Authority and Ecostrat have announced the issue of a coveted ‘AA’ BDO Zone Rating for Toombs County, centred in Lyons, Georgia - the state’s first rating for pulpwood, forest residues and sawmill residuals. The Toombs County BDO Zone features an investment grade rating which validates ‘very high quality’ feedstock supply chains and strong…
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Haffner Energy, a French family-owned company that designs, manufactures, supplies and operates solutions to produce renewable energy from biomass residues, and Hexas Biomass Inc. (Hexas), a US company specialising in plant-based raw material production from its regenerative purposefully grown crop XanoGrass™, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a non-exclusive…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a plan it said will boost biomass supply chain resiliency for domestic biobased product manufacturing, while also advancing environmental sustainability and market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers. The report — Building a Resilient Biomass Supply: A Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America — is one of the key USDA…
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Biomass producer Enviva has filed for bankruptcy in Virginia, US, as it outlined a restructuring strategy to reduce debt by $1 billion (€915 million). The filing in the US bankruptcy court shields the organisation from creditors as it outlines a plan to repay them. Enviva has entered into two Restructuring Support Agreements (RSAs). One is with an ad hoc group of holders, representing…
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Costa Rican authorities have announced plans for the construction of power plants with a collective capacity of 412MW, harnessed by an estimated investment of $539 million (€493 million). The plants will focus on biomass, wind and solar resources. Costa Rica's Environment and Energy Minister, Franz Tattenbach, has emphasised recent legislative measures that include a decree - issued in…
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CHAR Technologies (CHAR Tech) has been awarded a contribution of approximately $5.2 million (€3.5 million) from the Government of Canada’s Natural Resources Canada Clean Fuels Fund. The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Canada delivered the announcement at CHAR Tech’s Thorold, Ontario facility. The Clean Fuels Fund aims to significantly increase…
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A blaze from a biomass boiler spread to a commercial building in Shropshire, UK, leading to fire crews being called, reported the BBC. The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service attended SJ Roberts Construction Ltd in Marton on the evening of 6 March. The biomass boiler was alight, with a large storage unit being affected. Station Manager Darren Salvoni said the fire was "well-developed" by the…
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