Other News

A $170 million (€128 million) 49.9MW biomass-fired power plant, developed by Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC) and its partner Novi Energy, has commenced its trial run. On 11 September the first flow of renewable electricity was connected to the PJM regional electric transmission grid during testing. The companies anticipate that pre-commercial operation testing and inspection…
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Neoen, a producer of electricity from renewable sources, is developing a 65MW combined heat and power plant in Commentry, France. Following a call for tender, Areva has announced that it, in consortium with French boiler supplier Leroux and Lotz Technologies, has been awarded the €55 million contract to build the plant. It will use woodchips to generate 15MW of electrical power and 50MW of…
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Denmark's Port of Frederikshavn has entered into a partnership with technology company Steeper Energy and Aalborg University in Denmark to develop a biomass-based plant to produce sustainable marine fuel. The new plant will initially produce between 50 and 100,000 tonnes of sulphur-free renewable fuel a year for the several thousand vessels passing through the port annually. It will use wood…
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The vote at the European Parliament concerning proposed changes to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) was taken on 11 September. The use of crop-based biofuels for land transportation has been capped at 6% of the total 10% aimed for by 2020 and MEPs also agreed to pass a 2.5% share from second generation biofuels. The final figure of 6% is…
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Sustainable energy investment firm Greensphere Capital and Stobart Biomass Products have entered into an agreement that will see Stobart's biomass division supply up to 1 million tonnes of biomass to existing and future power plants. Greensphere will be investing in a national platform of waste biomass power plants, which will be supplied by the framework agreement with Stobart's biomass…
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China Chant Group is developing a new biomass-fired power plant in China's Shandong province. The new plant will generate more than 200MWh of renewable electricity using cotton straw, bark and rice husk when it comes online. DP CleanTech, a manufacturer of biomass-to-energy power plants, is building the facility and broke ground in August. This is the fourth biomass power plant to be delivered to…
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EDF Renewable Energy has closed a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement for the acquisition of Heartland Renewable Energy's biogas plant. The project, which features a 20MW anaerobic digester and renewable natural gas (RNG) facility, is already under construction with biogas deliveries to begin by the second quarter of next year. The plant, located in LaSalle, Colorado, will handle organic…
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A multi-university study into biomass-to-energy has claimed to have found a new lignin gene which could aid conversion. A research project involving universities in Scotland, the US and Belgium used the model plant Arabidopsis thanliana and identified an enzyme called caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE), which fulfils a central role in lignin biosynthesis. The research says by removing the CSE gene…
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Aemetis, an advanced fuels and renewable chemicals company, has been granted US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval to produce ethanol using grain sorghum and biogas. The move means the plant’s existing combined heat and power system can generate higher-value D5 advanced biofuels renewable identification numbers (RINs). The EPA approval also includes D5 RIN generation for…
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Universal Adsorbents and Chemicals (UAC) has formed a joint venture with Italy-based biogas company Sebigas to design and build biogas pants in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The subsidiary company – UAC Energy – will oversee the design and construction of biogas facilities in addition to providing operation and maintenance services. UAC expects the new JV subsidiary to…
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Flagship VentureLabs has announced Midori Renewables is to deploy a new catalyst technology which melts non-food biomass into low-cost sugar. The technology, branded Breaking the Biomass Barrier, is a solid material, not an enzyme, micro-organism or aqueous acid, that can be separated from the reaction and reused for the production of renewable products and animal feed. ‘We evaluated…
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With the vote on whether to cap first generation biofuel in transport fuel at 5.5% is due around the start of Biofuels International conference the timing couldn't be better. This is your last chance to register and hear from top biofuel producers, regulators and experts for only €300 a day (when two delegates attend) Topics covered will include whether a 5.5% cap is the best way…
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Nature Flame's wood pellet manufacturing plant in New Zealand caught fire on 3 September after two sawdust hoppers exploded. Around a dozen fire crews responded to the fire, which was contained by around 11pm. No-one was in the building when the incident happened and there are no reports of injuries. State-owned Solid Energy owns Nature's Flame although it has been operating as an independent…
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Wood pellet manufacturer and distributor Viridis Energy has started producing wood pellets at its wholly owned subsidiary, Scotia Atlantic Biomass Company. The plant, which was acquired in February 2012, is based in Middle Musquodoboit, Nova Scotia. At the end of August three of its five pellet presses went into service and the first shipment of 25,000 tonnes of pellets will be made in December.…
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