Other News

On 5 January this year Ineos New Planet BioEnergy, a joint venture between bioenergy firm Ineos Bio and New Planet Energy, received a conditional commitment for a $75 million (€57 million) loan guarantee from the US Department of Agriculture’s 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program. The loan will fund the Ineos BioEnergy Center, a US, Florida-based facility that will convert biomass, including…
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European technical services provider Imtech has been selected by English water company Northumbrian Water to supply the technology solution for an advanced biogas plant in Howdon. The biogas plant will generate more than 4MW of electricity annually. The order is worth around €41 million for Imtech. ‘The new order confirms Imtech’s strong position in the UK water treatment market,’…
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In Nicaragua, fresh produce exporter Xagro and its multi-faceted business partner Jam are to begin testing the commercial production of cassava chips to be used for the production of ethanol in China. Testing will include assessing a number of different cassava varieties for high starch content, which is needed in the ethanol process, in addition to the production of several thousand tonnes of…
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Independent power producer Atlantic Power Corp. has closed the acquisition of a Cadillac, Michigan-based biomass plant and 100% of the membership interests in the facility’s operating company Cadillac Renewable Energy in a $77 million (€58.5 million) deal. Of the $77 million, $34 million will consist of cash, while the remaining $43 million will be paid off during the term of the power…
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In the US, lumber firm Allengheny Wood Products, based in Preston County, West Virginia, is to start up a new wood pellet company. Appalachian Wood Pellets will manufacture wood pellets for use as heating fuel in residential pellet stoves. The wood pellet company will acquire the sawdust needed to produce the pellets from Allengheny, which will be transported from the mill to the plant via…
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In Powys, Wales, Potter Waste Management is planning to build a £7 million (€8.24 million) anaerobic digestion (AD) facility. The digestor at Bryn Posteg landfill site, near Llanidloes, has been approved by Powys County Council and will create up to 40 jobs in the area. Expected to be completed by 2012, the digestor will transform bio-degradable waste to methane gas, soil conditioner and…
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The EU’s target to source 20% of its energy from renewable materials by 2020 may be exceeded, according to the 27 National Renewable Energy Action Plans analysis of the European Wind Energy Association. As 25 of the 27 EU countries aim to meet or exceed their renewable energy objectives, 20.7% of the EU’s total energy consumption could come from renewable sources. 34% of its…
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In the Philippines, Bacavalley Energy has launched its biomass power plant in San Pedro, Laguna. The plant, which cost $10 million (€7.57 million) to construct, will generate 4MW of energy from methane gas produced at the San Pedro landfill. The landfill is located in a 12-hectare site in the southern province of Luzon and consists of around 1.6 million tonnes of waste. In 2007 two areas of…
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A UK-based producer and exporter of biomass has entered into a long-term partnership with Africa-based SIFCA’s subsidiary. Africa Renewables (AfriRen) and Ghana Rubber Estates (GREL) are to collaborate for eight years in order to develop renewable energy projects in Africa. During the agreement biomass in the form of woodchips will be extracted from GREL’s rubber tree plantation near…
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In China, a provider of distributed power generation systems, A-Power Energy Generation Systems has been awarded a RMB218 million (€24.4 million) engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to build a biomass power plant in the region. Hainan Century Light Investment is behind the project, which will be located in Baisha County, Hainan. The plant will be fired by straw and,…
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While a number of anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities are springing up all over Europe, in the US it is a different story. However, Portland-based Columbia Biogas is planning to break the mould and construct an AD plant that will convert commercial food waste into methane gas for the production of electricity. The plans will see the AD plant constructed on an 11-acre site. It will be designed…
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In Germany a biogas plant has begun transporting biogas to a gas grid. Based in Zörbig, Saxony-Anhalt, and owned by Verbio Vereinigte Bioenergie AG, the €40 million facility is now feeding 2500m3 of biogas every hour into Mitgas Netz’s high pressure grid. Upon completion the plant will have the ability to produce 370GWh of biogas from agricultural waste for use in the gas grid.…
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The first anaerobic digestion (AD) plant to be constructed in London, UK has received a grant from the London Waste and Recycling Board. Dedicated to developing and operating energy projects, TEG is behind the Dagenham-based facility. The £1.9 million (€2.2 million) grant will help TEG develop the 30,000 tonne-a-year AD plant, in addition to a 20,000 tonne silo cage in-vessel composting…
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In Sweden the Volvo Group has collaborated with Schmidt and Swedavia as part of a field test to trial a snow sweeper powered by biogas. The Volvo Group’s snow sweeper is fitted with two nine-litre Volvo engines, which are currently powered on a 50:50 mix of biogas and conventional diesel. However this fossil fuel could eventually be switched with biodiesel, resulting in zero carbon emissions.…
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