Other News

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved €700 million of financing for the agriculture and bioeconomy sector. The initiative aims to unlock around €1.6 billion of investment in these sectors by supporting private companies operating throughout the value chains of production and processing of food, bio-based materials and bioenergy. The funding will be guaranteed by the European…
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Alarik Sandrup, director of public and regulatory affairs at agricultural cooperative Lantmännen, has been appointed the new chairman of the Swedish Bioenergy Association (Svebio). Sandrup, who was appointed on 2 April, replaced Karin Medin, the CEO of Söderenergi, a waste-to-energy firm. Svebio is a commercial environmental organisation with around 265 members and a leading Swedish…
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The renewable energy sector added 176 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity globally in 2019, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). According to IRENA, the figures were marginally lower than the 179 GW added in 2018. However, new renewable power accounted for 72% of all power expansion in 2019. The Renewable Capacity Statistics 2020 shows that renewables expanded by…
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The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) has said there is a "weak" rationale for keeping UK council household and waste recycling centres (HWRCs) open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CIWM supported a statement made by the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum that "As CA/HWRC  sites are places where members of the public may meet in numbers, local authorities can be…
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Swiss lubricant supplier Bathan AG has appointed a new chief operating officer. Dr Holger Streetz, who previously served as the director of international business development for Bathan AG and as a board member since 2011, has now taken on the role of COO. Streetz holds a doctorate in Law from Freie University in Berlin, as well as a degree in business economics from European University…
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The COP26 UN climate change conference, set to take place in Glasgow in November, has been postponed due to COVID-19. The decision was taken by the COP Bureau of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the UK and its Italian partners. New dates have yet to be confirmed, however, the UNFCCC has said that the event will still take place in Glasgow as…
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The UK Parliamentary Pension Fund has increased its investments in renewable energy, although it still partly relies on fossil fuel companies. According to the annual report from the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund, the total assets amount to £733 million (€806 million). The report states that Trustees introduced an allocation to renewable infrastructure investments. It reads:…
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Recycling and waste sector employees have been granted 'key worker' status in the UK. Key worker status means that the children of designated sectors can still go to school during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other key workers include those in healthcare and food distribution. The announcement follows calls from the Environmental Services Association (ESA) to keep vital waste services moving. In…
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The owners of one of the UK's biggest recycling and residual waste businesses, Viridor, have entered into an agreement to sell the company. Pennon Group announced it is planning to sell Viridor to Planets UK Bidco, a newly-formed company established by funds advised by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, at a value of £4.2 billion (€4.47 billion). In a statement, Pennon Group said it will now be…
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The UK Government's export credit agency, UK Export Finance (UKEF), saw its direct lending facility increase by £5 billion (€5.49 billion), with £2 billion (€2.19 billion) allocated for clean growth projects. Through its direct lending scheme, UKEF provides overseas buyers of UK goods and services with financing support in the form of long-term, fixed-rate lending. An additional £2…
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Bioenergy events across the globe are being postponed in light of the recent Covid-19 (or coronavirus) outbreak. While many events have been rescheduled for later in the year, others have yet to confirm a new date. The following events have been affected: Value of Biogas East, Toronto, Canada Postponed - New dates TBC "The 2020 Value of Biogas East events will be postponed due to…
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UK renewable electricity generation increased by 16% in Q3 2019, compared with the same period in 2018. According to the latest figures by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the share of total electricity generation from renewables – 38.9% - is the highest ever recorded and marginally exceeds the share of electricity generation from gas for the first…
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SUEZ recycling and recovery UK has joined over 180 businesses in signing up to the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, led by WRAP and IGD. The initiative was launched to help businesses reduce food waste by 50% by 2030. Suez has joined the initiative as an enabling partner to use its skills and resources as a UK waste and water recycling and recovery business to help customers to meet their…
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UK entrepreneurs are invited to apply to win up to €500,000 and a place on a six-month bespoke accelerator programme through the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge (PLGC). The competition is one of the world’s largest in sustainable entrepreneurship and is open to green-start-ups and entrepreneurs based in the UK. PLGC rewards start-ups from the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden that…
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