Other News

Dr Christian Rakos, managing director of the Austrian Pellet Association, has been appointed president of the World Bioenergy Association. Rakos, a physicist who spent his entire career in the renewable energy sector, will take over from Remigijus Lapinskas, who will step down as president of the World Bioenergy Association after four years. Rakos was the founding president of the European…
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SSE Thermal has agreed to sell a 50% stake in its Slough Multifuel project to Copenhagen Infrastructure III K/S, a fund managed by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). The 50 MW energy-from-waste facility, which will utilise various sources of municipal solid waste, commercial and industrial waste and waste wood, will now be developed as a joint venture between the two companies. SSE…
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Vattenfall Heat UK has secured a contract to capture heat from Cory Riverside Energy’s energy-from-waste facility in Belvedere, London. The Riverside Energy Park will be located next to Cory’s existing energy recovery facility on the banks of the River Thames. Vattenfall will work with Cory on an application for funding from the UK Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project.…
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The International Biogas and Biomass Congress and Expos, which were due to take place in Brussels in October 2020 alongside the Biofuels International Conference and Expo, have been postponed until 2021. The decision was taken to host the event on 23-24 March 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that, by this time, life will have returned to some sense of normality, although there…
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Renewable energy can support a resilient and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). IRENA's first Global Renewables Outlook shows that the decarbonisation of the energy system can support short-term recovery while creating 'resilient and inclusive' economies and societies. The outlook examines the building blocks of an…
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Employees at Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire have shown their support for NHS workers by turning one of the plant's cooling towers blue. Every Thursday evening, people in the UK clap for NHS staff and other key workers, in a display of appreciation for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Engineers at Drax Power Station have installed blue lighting on one of the twelve…
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The Virginia Clean Economy Act, which requires nearly all coal-fired plants in the state to close by 2024, has been signed into law. On 12 April, Governor Ralph Northam signed the act an amended the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act, that requires Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The Virginia Clean Economy Act focuses on several key areas, such as…
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Business appears to be returning to normal in China as pump specialist Landia has received a new order. Landia has sold a new batch of chopper pumps to China with the reopening of its Shanghai office, after the COVID-19 outbreak. The 18.5 kW pumps will be used for a liquid manure application at a dairy farm in northern China. The company that purchased the pumps, which is based in Zhengzhou,…
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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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Local authority groups have joined forces to analyse the status of waste services across England and how they have been affected by COVID-19. Led by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), the groups have launched a survey to be completed weekly to track any changes. According to ADEPT, initial findings show that most councils are "continuing to…
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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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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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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 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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