News

Japanese trading houses and electricity retailers are increasing their imports of wood chips and palm shells, with demand expected to surge amid a rush of construction of biomass power plants, according to a report from the Nikkei Asian Review. The government is revising its fixed-price power purchase scheme so that the price for biomass-generated power falls to 21 yen (19 cents) from 24 yen per…
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Canada-based firm Airex Energy officially inaugurated its biomass torrefaction plant, located in the La Prade industrial park in Bécancour, Quebec. The industrial-size demonstration plant, which required around CAN $10 million (€14m) in public and private investments for its design, construction, and start-up, showcases the latest trademarked biomass torrefaction technology, CarbonFX.…
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The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association (SFTA) is repeating its warning to the UK government that the "headlong drive to produce renewable energy from by-products of the distilling industry through anaerobic digesters and biomass plants will cause severe damage to the beef industry". The supply of distillery by-products, draff, pot ale syrup and dark grains, which beef and many sheep systems in…
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A new way of drying wood chips for bioenergy has been developed by Finnish researchers. The artificial dryer, in the form of a shipping container, is developed by Finnish company SFTec  and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). The project highlights the complexities of drying technology. A wide range of artificial dryers on the market run into technical challenges especially when…
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China will invest $184 million dollars into a 30 megawatt biomass power plant in Guinea Bissau, according to a media report in Reuters. "The funds are meant for construction of a biomass plant fed by two generators each with 15 ( sic.) kilowatt (MW) capacity," a statement from the Chinese embassy said, quoted in Reuters. China will foot 93% of the bill for the project, while Guinea pays for the…
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Shares in UK-based construction firm Interserve have fallen by a third after the board announced that the costs of quitting the energy-from-waste (EfW) business are more than double those originally expected. The construction firm announced in August that it was leaving the EfW field after issues arose with its six contracts in the sector, noting that the ‘unique challenges’ of the…
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The Renewable Energy Association (REA), the UK’s largest trade association for renewable heat, power and transport, has slammed the Chatham House report on wood-based biomass and labelled it “misleading”. Yesterday (23 February), a report published by Chatham House, a London-based policy institute,  stated that using wood pellets to generate low-carbon electricity is a…
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The UK should vary the pace at which it reduces carbon emissions by 2050 in order to prioritise energy policies that “keep the lights on”, according to a House or Lords committee. The Economic Affairs Committee examined the impact of the policies of successive governments on the electricity market.  In its report, "The Price of Power: Reforming the Electricity Market", published…
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Using biomass to generate low-carbon  electricity is a flawed policy that is speeding up and not slowing down climate warming, according to a new study from Chatham House. The report is entitled ‘Woody biomass for power and heat impacts on the global climate’. The study maintains that wood is not carbon neutral and emissions from pellets are higher than coal. Subsidies for…
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French industrial gas manufacturer Air Liquide has completed its acquisition of ENN Clean Energy UK, subsidiary of China’s largest privately-owned energy company ENN Group. Air Liquide did not disclose the value of the transaction. ENN Clean Energy's natural gas stations in Wellingborough, Portbury, and Huntingdon in the United Kingdom, will now become part of Air Liquide's European network…
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Canadian pulp manufacturer Mercer International has agreed to buy one of Germany's largest sawmills and a biomass power plant. Mercer International will acquire the Friesau facility for around CAN$55.1 million (€39.7m) plus defined working capital of approximately $9 million. Mercer International did not disclose the owner of the facility in its press statement. According to Mercer, the…
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Alberta is in a prime position to convert its coal-burning plants to biomass fuel in order to meet its climate targets at a low cost by using existing coal-firing infrastructure. This is the argument four University of Victoria researchers are making in a Policy Options article titled: Refuelling Alberta coal plants with biomass.  "Biomass, which today accounts for only 3% of…
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The development of large-scale energy projects, including the Site C hydroelectric dam, threatens to drive bioenergy and biofuel production away from British Columbia (B.C.), experts warn. Jack Saddler, a researcher at the University of B.C. and part of a project to convert forest residues to biojet fuel, told CBC News that big energy projects could drive out innovation in the industry. The Site…
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Sustainable Biomass Partnership has suspended PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) from issuing certificates in Canada and the U.S. for not fulfilling an SBP requirement. According to an SBP statement, PwC did not effectively correct a major non-conformity and demonstrate conformity to the SBP requirements within the required timeframe. The suspension took effect 23 January. PwC has six months to…
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