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A sewage work upgrade project planned by UK utility provider Thames Water will also introduce an anaerobic digestion process, where solid waste is broken down in enclosed tanks in the absence of oxygen. This process forms biogas which can be used to generate renewable energy, and it is intended to produce enough energy to power the entire site. Thames Water began the £85 million (€94.7…
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Wisconsin, US-based wind farm operator We Energies is looking to build a biomass plant. The company has filed an application with state regulators to build a $255 million (€185 million) biomass power plant near Wausau. The project would supply steam to Domtar’s paper mill in Rothschild and create up to 150 jobs. The 50MW power plant would generate enough power to supply 40,000 typical…
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In the UK, W4B is back, after its application for a biofuel plant in Portland was rejected in 2009. W4B Renewable Energy has submitted a second proposal for planning permission on a £35 million (€40 million) palm oil facility. W4B wants to construct the multi-million pound power plant at Portland Port, on the edge of Balaclava Bay. Now, in a bid to show their lack of support for revived…
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Antti Pasanen, managing director of St1 Biofuels Oy, is the latest addition to the impressive line-up of speakers at the upcoming Bioenergy International expo & conference in Prague on 5-6 May. St1 Biofuels Oy was established in 2006 and its first small-scale plant in Finland is the first anywhere to produce ethanol from waste for commercial use on motor fuel. While St1’s current…
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Since the year 2006, 114,000 biogas pools have been built in the rural areas of Tibet. The Tibet Department of Farming and Animal Husbandry claims that around 570,000 farmers and herdsmen will now be provided with clean methane. The state council gave the green light for 155,705 biogas pools to be constructed in rural villages in Tibet, costing 659.26 million Yuan (€71.2 million). Further…
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In the Philippines, Phil-Korean Renewable Energy is planning to invest $71.26 million (€52.6 million) on the construction of a biomass plant. The refinery, due to begin construction later in 2010, will utilise woodchips to produce 30MW of power that will be supplied to Palawan Electric. The chairman of Phil-Korean Renewable Won Gul Lee has said that the company will replace those trees…
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Covanta, a US waste management firm, has announced that the company’s biomass assets have been idled and this has negatively impacted on its first quarter revenue results for its energy division. In a statement, Covanta said: “Energy revenue from non-energy-from-waste (EfW) operations decreased by $13 million, primarily driven by an $11 million decrease in biomass revenue as a…
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In the UK, city councillors have declined the biomass power plant proposed for Avonmouth. The refinery, which would have utilised 70,000 tonnes of vegetable oil from tropical palm trees to power 25,000 homes, received more than 1,100 letters of objection before the meeting. The high demand for palm oil has been linked to large areas of deforestation. Councillors voted 6-2 against the plans…
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Major European oil refiner PKN Orlen will be presenting on the execution of targets for biofuels at the upcoming Bioenergy International expo & conference in Prague on 5-6 May. Robert Gmyrek, the director of the biofuels department will also cover the need for top quality biofuel. PKN Orlen is the pioneer in the Polish market when it comes to selling biofuels and both its diesel and petrol…
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The European Commission is taking an active role in steering member states on to the right path for renewables. It has worked with key industry associations and producers, many of which say they will produce surplus biofuels and bioenergy than mandated. By 2020 the European Union must source 20% of its total energy (including heat, power and transport) from renewable sources. This target was set…
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Hawaii-based ClearFuels Technology will build a biorefinery in Wayne County, Tennessee, US. The $200 million (€148.3 million) biorefinery will turn sawdust, wood shavings and wood chips into diesel or jet fuel. The refinery would employ 50 people and be built at lumber supplier Hughes Hardwoods’ facility in Collinwood. Construction is scheduled to begin near the end of 2011 with operations…
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The UK’s largest renewable energy trade association, the Renewable Energy Association (REA), has urged the UK government to support the biomass heat industry. The trade body recently responded to a consultation on reforms to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) subsidy, which closed earlier this week. In a statement, the REA said that if changes to the RHI policy were made then “the…
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Europe’s largest wheat to ethanol refinery has shipped its first renewable fuel product. Tanker Clipper Nelly left independent terminal operator Vopak’s North Tees, UK, terminal loaded with Ensus ethanol and headed for Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Ensus’ £300 million (€332 million) plant at Wilton went into production last month, making the green road fuel, valuable animal feed and…
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Delegates can now start networking and arrange meetings even before Bioenergy International expo and conference starts. The event, now eight weeks away in Prague on 5-6 May, features a networking suite for all delegates and speakers which have registered, allowing you to specifically choose who you want to have lunch with. Key speakers you can meet include H.E. Mr. Jan Dusík, Minister of the…
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