News

Wood pellet exports from the US almost doubled last year, from 1.6 million tonnes (approximately 22 trillion Btu) in 2012 to 3.2 million tonnes in 2013. This is according to the US Energy Information Administration. Over 98% of these exports were shipped to Europe, and 99% originated from ports in the south eastern and lower Mid-Atlantic regions of the country. In 2008 it was predicted that…
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TEG Biogas, an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant located in Dagenham on the outskirts of London, opened on 23 April. The plant is London's first commercial-scale AD and composting facility. It is also the first project to be invested in by the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB), via its Foresight magazine fund. Technology firm TEG Group built and will operate the plant, which was completed on time and…
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Renewable fuels producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy is developing a wood pellet production plant in British Columbia, Canada. Costing $39 million (€28 million) with an output of 250,000 tonnes a year, the facility will be Pinnacle's seventh such plant and bring its total capacity to 1.5 million tonnes a year of wood pellets. The chosen site for the company's latest project is located across…
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Akermin has signed a Cooperative Agreement for a commercial-scale demonstration project in Copenhagen, Denmark. The DKK 42 million (€5.6 million), three-year demonstration project, located at the Biofos waste-water treatment plant, is partially-funded through a grant from the Danish Energy Agency (EUDP). This project will use Akermin's industrial biocatalyst to remove the CO2 from the biogas…
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Fruytier, a Belgian sawmill company, has acquired Energies Renouvelables Des Ardennes’ (ERDA) pellet plant. ERDA has reportedly been encountering financial difficulties for the last two years and in 2012 suffered losses of roughly €10 million. Fruytier had until now been responsible for 55% - 60% of raw-material deliveries to ERDA. Pierre Fruytier describes the takeover by ERDA as a…
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Prairie Horizon Agri-Energy’s ethanol plant in Phillipsburg, Kansas, will build a renewable diesel facility on site. WB Services will integrate the 3 million gallon per year (MMgy) facility onto the site where the 40 MMgy plant sits.  Ron Beemiller, president and CEO of WB Services, says: ‘This plant will be the first of its kind—the first renewable diesel plant to fully…
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Viaspace, a grower of Giant King Grass for renewable energy production, has signed a contract with St Lucia, West Indies-based renewable energy firm Emunite Energy Solutions to provide Giant King Grass for its planned 100,000 tonne per year pellet mill in Guyana, South America. The energy grass was delivered to Guyana and planted on 15-17 April. Viaspace says it received an initial payment, and…
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The completion of a 4.8MW renewable energy facility in Valdosta, Georgia was commemorated at the beginning of May with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Environmental services provider Advanced Disposal partnered with Energy Systems Group (ESG), an energy services provider, to design, build, own and operate the landfill gas-to-electricity plant at the Pecan Row Landfill. It will generate power by…
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Wood pellet exports from North America exceeded $650 million (€466 million) last year, according to information from the North American Wood Fiber Review. Shipments from North America to Europe have more than doubled in two years and reached 4.7 million tonnes in 2013. Of this volume, around 63% came from the US South. Much of this growth can be attributed to those wood pellet exporting…
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Byogy Renewables and airline partner Avianca Brasil have launched an initiative to support advanced testing to accelerate ASTM approval of Byogy's renewable jet fuel. This alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) renewable jet fuel is a full replacement fuel that does not require blending. It is different from 'drop-in' fuel, which comprises hydrocarbon additive products with oil-based jet fuel. Byogy's jet fuel is…
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Australia, one of the world's largest exporters of woodchips, appears to have recovered from a 10-year low in 2012 as shipments rose again last year. In the first quarter of this year, exports were close to the highest since 2010. When Australian exports fell, it was replaced by Vietnam as the largest supplier of woodchips in the world. Exports of eucalyptus chips peaked at 5 million tonnes in…
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Finland's wood pellet production capacity increased by 7% in 2013 compared to the previous year, according to reports. Output rose 18,000 tonnes reaching 270,000 tonnes last year. Last year the nation exported 78,000 tonnes of wood pellets, the majority of which was destined to Sweden and Denmark. While this is an increase on 2012 figures, it remains significantly lower than in the…
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Wood pellet producer Rentech has acquired New England Wood Pellet (NEWP), the largest producer of wood pellets for the US heating market. NEWP operates three wood pellet facilities with a combined annual production capacity of 240,000 tonnes. These plants are strategically located in the US Northeast, which is the largest domestic market for consumption of wood pellets for heating. 'The…
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FortisBC, a regulated utility company based in British Columbia, Canada, is seeking expressions of interest from potential biomethane suppliers for its renewable natural gas programme. The call for applicants will help the Canadian province grow its supply of this renewable and carbon neutral energy source. The company is seeking interest from suppliers for an additional supply of up to one…
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