News

It has been in pipeline for over three years, but now a 350MW-a-year biomass-fired power plant can move on to the next stage of development after it was found that it would not affect local residents' health. Proposed for Port Talbot in Wales, UK, biomass power plant developer Prenergy submitted an application in August 2010 to change some conditions to the Environmental Permit for the planned…
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With its rapidly increasing population putting pressure on the regeneration capacity of current energy sources such as charcoal and firewood, the VP of Tanzania Mohamed Gharib Bilal is urging the government to explore alternative options. 'The increasing population is a threat to continued use of firewood and charcoal since they cannot meet the growth,' he states. The majority of Tanzania's homes…
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UK-based wood pellet supplier Forever Fuels is investing £2 million (€2.3 million) that will double the company's capacity to supply wood pellets in England and Wales. The investment will see Forever Fuels invest £1 million in five distribution depots and £1 million in seven pellet-delivery vehicles. The depots will be installed at sites near Carmarthen, Middlewich,…
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Located in Texas, US, biofuel company KiOR, which is building three plants in Mississippi, has found a buyer for its renewable oil that will be produced at its Columbus-based facility, due to begin operations in 2012. Tuscaloosa's Hunt Refining, a petroleum refining company, will purchase the renewable crude oil, converted from wood chips. 'The announcement is an important milestone for the…
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Wood pellets manufactured by Verdo Renewables, a Danish utility company and pellet producer, at its plants in Andover and Grangemouth are the first in the UK to receive certification under ENplus, the new Europe-wide standard for premium quality wood pellets. Certificate number UK001 was awarded to Verdo by OFI Cert, the Austrian certification body working in co-operation with the European Pellet…
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In the UK, South West Devon Waste Partnership, a collaboration between Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and Devon County Council, has signed a deal with Mannhiem, Germany-based renewable energy firm MVV Umwelt. The deal will see MVV Umwelt provide a 25-year residual waste treatment solution for the region. The company is planning to build a 245,000-tonne waste-to-energy plant in North Yard…
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A key player in the tree improvement and commercial production of trees ArborGen and GreenWood Resources, a global investment and asset management company, have formed a strategic business alliance. The collaboration was formed to meet the growing demand for woody biomass with purpose grown hardwood trees in the southeastern region of the US. 'Our companies possess complimentary core capabilities…
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UK-based AeroThermal Group and 4Recycling, a UK-based recycling company, are hoping to construct a biogas plant in Plymouth, England, UK, and have now submitted the plans to Devon County Council. The plant, if granted the go-ahead, will divert 75,000 tonnes a year of municipal solid waste away from landfill and convert to into renewable electricity. The facility will be able to handle household…
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Cardiff, Wales-based renewable energy developer Eco2 is looking to develop two biomass power plants in Romania. Costing an estimated €100 million each with an installed power generation capacity of 40MW, the plants will be built in Slobozia, Ialomita county and Rosiori de Vede in Teleorman county. The Slobozia-based plant is scheduled to break ground at the end of 2012 before it is completed…
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An estimated 1.6 million tonnes of pellets were shipped from the US and Canada to the Netherlands, the UK and Belgium in 2010, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. North America is now one of the major suppliers of wood pellets to Europe, with volumes doubling since 2008. In a move to reach the EU's 2020 renewable energy targets, many European countries have increased their…
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An increasing demand for raw woody biomass could be a sign of higher pine stumpage prices for forest owners and investors. Between 2012 and 2013 Forisk Consulting, dedicated to analyzing the supply and demand characteristics of local wood and timber markets, forecasts saw timber prices for US states located in the south of the region strengthening 4.6% and 5.5%, respectively, as lumber production…
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In the UK, National Grid has awarded REG Biopower, the subsidiary of UK-based renewable energy developer and operator REG, two contracts to provide Short Term Operating Reserve (STOR) using its plant powered by waste cooking oil. STOR allows National Grid to source reserve power in pre specified seasonal time periods to meet actual demand when greater than forecasted or during unexpected plant…
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In the UK, property development company Malaby Martin has been granted planning consent for Material Minor Amendments (MMA) to its integrated biogas scheme, which was approved by Wiltshire Council in July 2010. Malaby Martin is developing a biogas plant which will be integrated into the redevelopment of the redundant farmstead at Bore Hill Farm in Warminster, Wiltshire. Detailed design work…
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In Binh Duong province, Ben Cat District, Vietnam, UK and Malaysia-based biogas storage solutions firm Kirk Environmental has completed its first 1.2MW anaerobic digestion plant for food and packaging company San Miguel Corporation. When the plant begins producing biogas in Q2 2011, the facility will be powered self sufficiently. The project is a partnership between Kirk Environmental, Biodome…
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