News

The UK government has revealed the details of its revised Energy Bill this November but a decision on carbon emission targets will be delayed. Energy companies will be allowed to charge households an extra £7.6 billion ($12.1 billion) to go towards low-carbon electricity infrastructure by 2020. Chancellor George Osborne, who is in favour of gas-powered generation, has not enjoyed a smooth…
Read More »

A bioenergy project in British Columbia has had to be temporarily delayed while developer Conifex Timber secures long-term financing. Conifex claims the project is around 30% complete to date but, in order to further its continued development and secure satisfactory long-term financing, it will suspend installation and construction activities. ‘While it is disappointing to have to reduce…
Read More »

Three companies signed a biogas supply agreement at the official opening of the Suiker Unie biomass fermenator in Vierlaten, the Netherlands. Suiker Unie will produce biogas from around 100,000 tonnes of vegetable residues, including sugar beet, while GasTerra will transport the gas which will be purchased by BioMCN. The new facility increases Suiker Unie’s current biogas capacity to a…
Read More »

A new combined heat and power plant is up and running in Germany. The $44 million (€34.4 million)GBE Gocher Bioenergie facility, a joint venture between RWE Innogy and Goch municipal utility, has a capacity for 7.6MW of electricity and 28MW of heat. It will used landscaping wood as feedstock. The nearby Nähr -Engel food production facility will benefit from around 130,000 tonnes of…
Read More »

Researchers in Taiwan believe they are a step closer to creating algae-based alternative fuels. A project has been conducted by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and the Fisheries Research Institute and the results, which have been seen by the ROC Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), confirm that Taiwan is getting closer to creating a cost-effective, environmentally friendly…
Read More »

A group of students in the US have made a sizeable donation to local bioheat charities recently. The youngsters, part of the Westerly Innovation Network, recently visited Providence, Rhode Island to announce the $25,000 (€19,500) donation to mayor Angel Taveras. The team form the Turning Grease Into Fuel project which sells cooking oil and residue waste to a refinery and redirects the…
Read More »

The UK county of Dorset is set to benefit from a new biogas plant which is backed by some heavy duty royal approval. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, will officially open the facility, based on land owned by his Duchy of Cornwall estate, this week and it is hoped it will provide gas for around 56,000 homes. It will also feed gas back into the national grid. It is believed the Prince hopes the…
Read More »

The Indian town of Thamna, Anand is set to go ahead with a new biopower plant to produce natural gas for local use. Around 700 farmers each own a part of the Thamna Biopower and Organic Producers company (TBO)which is hoping to produce 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas per day. Landless farmers have contributed Rs1,000 ($18) to TBO while larger land owners have put in Rs10,000. The Rs 1.75 crore…
Read More »

A potential biomass import centre in Northern England remains a prospect but will rely heavily on favourable government policy being in place. Teesport owner PD Ports wants to add the centre as a response to growing demands for biomass supplies, but bosses believe the government’s plans around electricity market reform must remain pro-biomass to go ahead. ‘There is the Renewables…
Read More »

Sweetwater Energy has confirmed its first commercial-scale, cellulosic sugar-production facility project is moving forward with the appointment of a design company. Merrick and Company has been charged with the facility’s creation process from front-end engineering through to detailed design. Sweetwater eventual aim is to produce low-cost sugars from non-food plant materials and sell them…
Read More »

The foundation stone of UPM’s Finland-based biorefinery in Lappeenranta has been laid. UPM claim the120 million litres a year facility will be ‘the world’s first biorefinery to produce wood-based biodiesel’ and this announcement means the project is running on schedule. ‘Our €150 million investment into Lappeenranta proves this is UPM’s spearhead project…
Read More »

Wood pellet and biomass supplier Enviva has closed on its first corporate borrowing plan. The company will receive a senior secured credit facility of $120 million (€94.2 million). Three major banks, namely Barclays, Goldman Sachs USA and Royal Bank of Canada, all served as joint lead arrangers. The proceeds will be used by Enviva to complete the construction of two new 500,000 metric ton…
Read More »

A biomass plant in Minnesota has vowed to stop using treated wood as part of its feedstock following a fine from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Fibrominn, a company that burns turkey and wood waste to produce electricity, will have to shell out $14,000 (€11,000) for violating the conditions of its air permit. Although accounting for less than 1% of its total fuel burned between…
Read More »

Chinese imports of logs and lumber dramatically fell this year according to a report by the Wood Resources International. Total value of imports from January to August came to $4.3 billion (€3.3 billion) but represents a 19% drop on the same time last year. Russia and Canada provide the bulk of imports into China (84%) with the US Chile and New Zealand making up the rest. The average import…
Read More »