Other News

In Honolulu, Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric Company is looking for a 42 million gallon-a-year biofuel supply that will be used to power its Kahe Power Plant in Leeward, Oahu. Preferably, the biofuel will derive from Hawaii-based feedstocks, however bidders may also propose a combination of local biofuel and biofuel sourced from outside of Hawaii. The company also explained that those who cannot supply…
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In Rothes, Scotland, UK, construction is due to start on a $60.5 million (€69 million) biomass CHP plant. Utilising by-products sourced from Scotch Whisky distilleries, the facility will generate 7.2MW of electricity, produce animal feed and slash carbon emissions. Most of the electricity generated at the site, which is enough to power 9,000 households, will be transported to the national…
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The US Department of Energy (USDA) has accepted a cooperative's proposal for a Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) area designation. Named 'Plant, Baby, Plant', the designation was accepted by the USDA on 4 May 2011. This designation of land will see 30 western Missouri counties and eight counties in Kansas form a 'fuel shed' in which the farmers will grow energy crops on land unusable for…
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With the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) announced, increased levels of Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) proposed for anaerobic digestion (AD) and the coalition government's promise to deliver a significant amount of energy from waste sources through the process of anaerobic digestion, all eyes are on the AD industry right now. On 6-7 July 2011, Hall 10, NEC, Birmingham will be home to UK AD & Biogas…
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UK-headquartered oil company Eastern Petroleum is looking to enter the renewable energy market with the acquisition of its first biomass plant. The company is considering investing in a 40MW facility in Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, but will not progress with the plan until the Renewable Energy Board sets the feed-in tariff (FIT) rates, according to the company chairman and CEO Fernando…
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Rentech has acquired additional equity in ClearFuels Technology, and will now own a substantial majority of the equity of ClearFuels, with existing ClearFuels investors retaining a minority interest. ClearFuels, a company developing advanced sustainable biorefineries that convert multiple mixed cellulosic biomass feedstocks into sustainable, high-value energy products, will be the surviving…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded three new research grants to Michigan State University to research the production of bioenergy and bio-based products. It is hoped the grants will help develop sustainable regional systems and create jobs in the sector. Already at the university there is a cellulosic ethanol pre-treatment research lab and an AFEX technology pilot plant. The…
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Opcon Bioenergy, a subsidiary of Opcon, an energy and environmental technology group, is to build a bioenergy plant in the Czech Republic which will produce energy using recycled heat. As part of its contract, Opcon Bioenergy will deliver flue gas condensation equipment, including a treatment system, to a district heating plant used by TTS in Trebic. The plant is scheduled to be operational by…
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Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, US, has been given a grant from the Biofuels Center of North Carolina worth more than $145,000 (€97,500). The money will be used to expand the university’s testing facilities for biofuels catalysts. The grant is for one year’s worth of research and will be used to produce biodiesel from cheap feedstocks and other sources. The university is…
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UK-based recycling and renewable energy firm Viridor has completed its state-of-the-art energy recovery facility (ERF) in Peterborough. The plant, which is operated by Viridor, is now operational on the city's Fengate industrial estate. Making a significant step towards its zero waste ambitions, Peterborough City Council is now able to divert up to 95% of its non-recyclable waste from landfill,…
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In the US We Energies and paper company Domtar are developing a $225 million (€156 million) biomass plant in Rothschild. The companies can now progress with the next stages of development after the state Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the plans. Despite receiving a unanimous vote from the panel, consisting of three members, We Energies and Domtar are to raise an additional $10…
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New terms to the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) will see funding capped at $112 million (€77.7 million) for the 2011 financial year. James Barber, New York's US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency state executive director, announced the provision. 'Both matching payments and annual payments will be affected by the reduction in programme funding,' Barber says. 'At…
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Japan-based heavy equipment maker IHI Corp. is promoting a method to increase the ratio of woody biomass that's able to be burned at coal-fired power plants amid increasing pressure to curb the carbon dioxide emissions that result from power generation. By retrofitting the mills that grind coal in preparation for burning so that they're also able to use more wood pellets in the fuel mix,…
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An opening ceremony for a $50 million (€35 million) biomass plant in Eugene, Oregon, US, owned by Seneca Sawmill, took place on 5 May 2011. The plant has been operational since February 2011. With the ability to handle woodchips, bark and slash material sourced from the logging industry, the plant generates 19MW of renewable energy, benefitting around 13,000 households in Lane County.…
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