Other News

Biomass energy generating company Helius Energy has been finalising commercial arrangements for funding its 100MW Avonmouth project. Alongside working with a club of banks, Helius say negotiations are underway with a shortlist of equity partners for the provision of the equity required to build the plant, with project documentation and due diligence apparently at an advanced stage. Helius adds…
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Renewable energy group Kedco has signed a heads of agreement with Reforce Energy as it looks to acquire its entire capital share. Both parties are heading towards signing the final legal contracts and completing all pre-conditions related to the acquisition. The consideration for the acquisition, if completed, would be satisfied by the issue of new Kedco ordinary shares and would not involve cash…
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The conversion from coal to biomass power at the Ontario Power Generation-owned Atikokan Generating Station is now underway. The Ontario Ministry of Energy believe that, once fully converted with an operational date set of late 2014, the plant will be capable of generating more than 200MW of clean power. ‘We are one step closer to eliminating the use of dirty coal while building a modern,…
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The Polish treasury has raised concerns that the Energy Ministry is to price ‘green’ energy out of the local market with a new law. The ministry had proposed a draft bill over the summer which assumed a decline in support for biomass co-firing at the country’s power stations. The treasury claims that if the new law is passed then Poland would not meet the European Union’s…
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Funds provided by the National Science Foundation will go towards the assessment of bioenergy projects in both North and South America over the next five years. The $4.81 million (€3.67 million) grant will fund a team of researchers, led by Michigan Tech University professor Kathy Halvorsen, which will visit bioenergy projects in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Michigan for the first three…
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A new cash injection will go towards funding microbiology research looking into new ways of cleaning up pollutants in Norwich, UK. The Norwich Research Park’s Earth and Life Science Alliance (ELSA) will use £750,000 ($1.2 million) donated by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to identify environmental responses to climate change. ‘The big challenge of environmental sciences…
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Renewable energy system provider Nexterra claims to have completed North America’s first commercial demonstration of a transformative energy-from-renewable-waste CHP system. The system combines Nexterra’s gasification and syngas conditioning with partner GE’s Jenbacher internal combustion engines and it is based at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Vancouver…
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Sustainable oil and chemicals company Kiverdi has received a grant from the California Energy Commission’s Research, Demonstration and Development programme. A total of $747,126 (€578,450) has been made available and which Kiverdi will put into research to developing beneficial uses for carbon dioxide. ‘The Commission applauds Kiverdi's technology which captures and converts…
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Biomass gasification technology company Zeropoint Clean Tech will work with Germany-based engineering company Envirotherm to build turnkey power plants. Two plants are currently operational in Europe and construction on the first of the next eight projects is expected to begin before the end of this year. According to Zeropoint, these plants will range in size from 2MW to 20MW and be the first…
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Renewable energy group Kedco has begun the export of power from one of its biomass plants to the Northern Ireland grid. The plant announcement, which is based in Newry and produces a total of 4MW, sees Kendo’s transition from a pure development company to an operator of renewable energy assets. The receiving grid is Bord Gais Eireann. Kedco now intends to move towards the completion of the…
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The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has voiced concerns following a Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) consultation for biomass power/CHP which it feels has ‘raised more questions than it answered’. The DECC has laid out tough criteria to ensure UK power stations are using sustainable biomass including all wood fuel to come from sustainably managed forests, plus a…
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Prenergy Power is considering adding wood pellets as a feedstock to its proposed biomass plant in Port Talbot, Wales. Construction on the £400 million ($641 million) has yet to start, but it was believed only wood chips would be used to generate energy. Neath Port Talbot Council is due to give the request a response this week. However opposition to the proposal are set to demonstrate…
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A 500kw biogas plant is set to come online at Yorkshire producer Melrose Pigs this month. Commissioning has started on the EnviTec Biogas anaerobic digestion project, which will be fed partly with slurry from Melbourne-based Melrose’s finisher pigs. Maize and grass silage from sister company Northern Crop Driers will also be fed into the system, which will produce electricity to be used…
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Global agriculture and industrial concern Cargill is to expand its grain storage facility in Manitoba, Canada. The expansion of the Elva grain facility, which primarily handles wheat, canola, barley and oats, will see capacity jump from 14,500 metric tonnes to 24,500. Rail car handling is also set to rise from 56 cars to 112. ‘This decision comes from Cargill’s commitment to helping…
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