Biomass News

Vattenfall Netherlands has delayed plans to build a major biomass plant in the country, claiming it is “not deaf” to the discussion surrounding biomass sustainability. The company, a subsidiary of Vattenfall in Sweden, said that due to ongoing discussions with politicians, municipalities and civil society organisations about the plans for the 120-megawatt biomass facility in Diemen, just…
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Drax Group has partnered with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering (MHI), part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, on a new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project at its power station in North Yorkshire. The project, testing MHI’s carbon capture technology, is set to begin in the autumn and marks another step in Drax’s quest to become carbon negative by 2030.…
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Aurora Energy Solutions, a new firm owned by Usibelli Investments, has acquired the assets of Superior Pellet Fuels (SPF) and is building a ‘state-of-the-art’ wood kiln in Alaska, US. The kiln will produce clean-burning dry firewood to help the greater Fairbanks area achieve required reductions in PM 2.5 emissions. Joe Usibelli Jr, managing member of Usibelli Investments, said: “We…
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A coalition of environmental advocacy groups has launched ‘Cut Carbon Not Forests’, a campaign to expose the UK’s “wasteful subsidies” for firms that burn trees to generate electricity. With the launch of the campaign, the groups hope to put pressure on policymakers to support reform. The multi-channel group, led jointly by Biofuelwatch, Dogwood Alliance, the Natural Resources…
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Vida Group, a subsidiary of US sustainable wood products and pellets firm Canfor, is to purchase three sawmills in Sweden. Vida will buy the sawmills from Bergs Timber for CAD$43 million (€28.2 million) plus working capital. The three facilities, located in Vimmerby, Morlunda and Orrefors, will add approximately 215 million board feet to Vida’s annual capacity. With further investment,…
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The US Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) and the Renewable Energy Agency (REA) have hit back against claims made by think tank Ember. Ember’s report, ‘The Burning Question’, shared its research to show why the UK should end tax breaks on burning wood biomass for power, revealing that subsidies of more than £13 million (€14.5 million) are provided to major biomass plants, such as…
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Finnish health food and fish feed manufacturer Raisio Group will use bioenergy to reduce emissions at its Nokia oat mill. Working with local energy firm Adven, the company will implement a new heating plant at the site, which will use the by-products generated in the mill’s oat production as fuel. With the new heating plant, Nokia’s mill will be carbon neutral, according to Adven, and…
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The US Department of Corrections (DoC) has received its first grant for a proposed wood biomass energy system at Larch Corrections Centre in Washington State. The aim is to install a modern, efficient biomass system to offset the use of fuel oil for heating and domestic hot water, according to the grant application submitted to the US Forest Service. According to the DoC, the Larch facility…
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The first steam turbine in history made by Doosan Škoda Power (DSP) left the gates of the production facility in Pilsen, Germany, and successfully arrived at the Port of Hamburg. The turbine is destined for Sodegaura in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, to the construction site of a new biomass power plant. Both turbine casings of the DSP 75 MW DST-S10 have been pre-assembled to reduce installation…
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A $17 million (€15 million) Biomass Utilisation Fund has been launched in Tuolumne County, California. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) and Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) launched the fund on 7 May. The programme will provide loans to boost the use of low- and no-value wood from Tuolumne County forests and…
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Contractual supplies of waste wood to UK biomass plants were 60% lower at the beginning of April, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA), the crisis could impact the waste wood sector for up to three years. Delegates attending the WRA’s summer meeting webinar on 3 June were told that recovering from the pandemic is going to be a “long journey”…
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Atlantic Power has shared updates on the status of the power purchase agreement (PPA) for its Calstock bioenergy facility in Ontario, Canada. Calstock is an approximately 35 MW biomass plant in Hearst, Ontario, utilising wood waste. The PPA with the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation, which had been scheduled to expire in June, was recently extended to 16 December on existing terms.…
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GoodChips®, the first international certification scheme for wood chips and hog fuel, has welcomed Azwood Energy as its newest member. Azwood is a leading energy supplier in New Zealand. In joining the scheme, the company has reinforced GoodChips’ mission to ensure that quality materials are seen throughout the supply chain at a local and international level. Azwood moves around…
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Glennmont Partners has completed the sale of Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant (Sleaford REP) to Greencoat Capital. The sale marks the last remaining asset of Glennmont’s €437 million Clean Energy Fund. Sleaford REP is an operational 38 megawatt-equivalent renewable combined heat and power (CHP) plant, which uses a blend of straw and sustainable wood chips to generate heat and power. The…
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