Other News

Xergi has signed a deal with the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA)to build a new biogas plant in the US which will feature gas-fired CHP engines that will output 8MW of electrical power. Hometown BioEnergy, the name of the plant, will be built in Le Sueur, Minnesota and will produce biogas from waste such as agriculture and food, including sweet corn, potato waste and chicken…
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Energy systems company Danish Stirling DK has commissioned a four-engine biomass plant at the spa resort of Tabbs in Tabarz, Thuringia, Germany. The plant, the first of its kind in the world according to the company, is powered by wood chips given from the local area, generating 4,000MWh of heat and 1,000MWh of electricity each year, which is the highest the amount for Stirling DK so far. The…
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Swedfund has invested €10 million into Addax Bioenergy, a company based in Sierra Leone. Swedfund’s investment, which Addax & Oryx is also a part of, will be the biggest private sector agriculture investment into the country and will be added to a total investment of €267 million. The greenfield projects will include the construction of an ethanol refinery and a biomass power…
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Neste Oil has commissioned its Rotterdam facility to produce hydrated vegetable oil (HVO), opening it on 19 December 2011. This follows the opening of productiion in Singapore and Finland, adding a further 800,000 tonnes to its capacity and bringing the total output to two million tonnes of HVO. The Rotterdam refinery produces NExBTL renewable diesel, Neste Oil’s own type of diesel, and is…
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Biomass fuel producer Enviva says it will build a 454,000 tonne wood pellet plant in Courtland, Virginia, with operations set to begin in the first half of 2013. However, the project will only go ahead if the land where the plant is to be built on receives permission from Southampton County to rezone the property. The company is currently expanding within the mid-Atlantic region, where it already…
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Canals throughout the UK might soon play a part in bioenergy production as energy company Dalkia says the waterways could be used to deliver biomass. The company already uses the Aire and Calder Navigation canal system, which is located in Yorkshire, to transport wood. Hundreds of years ago the canals were used to transport 40 million tonnes of cargo around the country each year, whereas today…
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Sargas, a Norwegian bioenergy company, says it is keen to invest in electrical energy in Malta as part of a deal with plant owners DSME and SNC-Lavalin to construct a plant. The feedstock used at the plant is called bio paste and is a wet mix of biomass and coal. However, natural gas will also power the plant but a carbon capture system will be installed. The company hopes to deliver the…
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Clayton Hall Farm in West Yorkshire, UK has invested in a £1.6 million (€1.9 million) anaerobic digestion plant which is anticipated to pay itself off within five years. The plant uses a digester which creates gas that activates a generator that supplies 400KW of electricity to the grid, heating farm buildings in the local area. The feedstock used will be food waste from local…
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The UK and India have made a £10 million (€11.8 million) deal to collaborate on sustainable bioenergy research. The programme will see scientific research carried out into plants and algae for bioenergy development. Funding from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Indian Government Department of Biotechnology has helped to put the build of the plant…
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BNP Paribas Clean Energy Partners has bought a straw-fired renewable energy plant from Eco2 for its clean energy fund. It is the first biomass facility the fund has bought, although it also owns a wind power facility and solar photovoltaics and other assets in France, Italy, the UK and Ireland. The new plant is based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, UK and will be able to produce 40MW, enough power to…
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Shipping company Maersk and the US navy are working together to test biofuels derived from algae by fuelling a container ship with the alternative fuel for a journey from the north of Europe to India. The ship, called Maersk Kalmar, was chosen for the tests because it features an engine that has been specifically designed for auxiliary testing, meaning risk of damage on the voyage is reduced. The…
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OriginOil, an algae technology developer, has joined forces with Australian company Future Energy Solutions (FES), and its subsidiary Alternate Energy Systems (AES), to carry out feasibility studies on the potential for biorefining centres around the world. The biorefineries would serve US and NATO military requirements for alternative fuels, including biofuels. OriginOil has also recently teamed…
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Construction has begun on a new bioenergy plant in Stockport, UK, which will convert food waste into gas, providing about 1,400 homes with renewable gas in the north west of England. The plant will run on organic material taken from hotels, restaurants and offices in the surrounding area and is scheduled to open in April 2012. The facility is expected to cost about £5 million (€5.8…
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Biomass to ethanol producer TMO Renewables says it has raised £7.6 million (€9 million) in a financing round from new and current shareholders. This will be combined with the £4.6 million that was raised at the beginning of the year, and will be used to help the company come into commercialisation. The company is working with plant owners and land official from Minas Gerais, a…
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