Other News

A new biofuels plant in Sofia, Bulgaria has awarded the construction contract to Greek company Aktor-Helektor. The project, set to use waste as feedstock, is set to take 19 months to come to fruition and cost around €109.2 million ($142.8 million). This is the second renewable energy project for the capital city as it joins another bioenergy system which is set to reduce Sofia’s…
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A biogas digester project for households in Bali is set to be expanded according to local news sources. Gde Suarja, project co-ordinator for Yayasan Rumah Energi, has stated a target of 500 digesters throughout the country by 2014 is now the aim. ‘As of now, 405 units have been installed in 39 districts in nine regencies. We have targeted installation of 500 units by reaching out to more…
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A new £8 million (€9.4 million) anaerobic digestion facility in County Durham, UK is near completion as it reaches the end of its first phase. As the region’s first commercial food waste facility by Emerald Biogas (EB) nears completion, it is now planning the second phase after securing a number of feedstock contracts for food waste. EB will also explore the potential of biogas…
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A new anaerobic digestion facility is set to be built on a campus at the Vermont Technical College (VTC), US. Ground has broken for construction to commence and it will use food and farm waste feedstock to heat the Randolph campus and deliver electricity to the grid in Vermont. ‘This facility will become a focus for education in renewable energy, waste management, sustainable agriculture,…
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The Renewable Energy Association (REA), whose members include both large and small biomass developers and suppliers, has released a private letter sent in April to three green campaign groups which appealed for a review of their strategy of “promoting … misinformation” and “deliberately facilitating confusion” about biomass among the general public. The letter,…
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A fire broke out at US-based Michigan Wood Pellet Fuel (MWPF) facility in the small hours of 6 May. Firefighters were alerted after members of the public reported smoke and flames coming from the building as three departments were alerted to tackle the blaze. Captain Chris Tinney of the Holland Department of Public Safety was quoted as saying that the fire was contained to a small area of the…
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Second generation feedstock business NexSteppe has launched its new sorghum hybrid products in the US and Brazil. The company hopes its sweet sorghum and high biomass hybrids will offer alternative solutions to advanced and cellulosic biofuels, biopower and biobased product producers. ‘Through a combination of directed conventional breeding, marker-assisted breeding and analytical…
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Small and medium enterprises in north west Europe can apply for Innovation Coupons to help them assess the feasibility of taking a bio-based idea or technology to industrial production. The  coupon scheme is being launched by Bio Base NWE, a new €6.2 million ($8.1 million) project funded under the INTERREF IVB NWE framework programme. A coupon, each worth up to €10,000, can be used…
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The Helius Corde biomass energy plant and animal feed processing unit in Rothes, Scotland has opened. The plant was officially opened on 17 April by HRH the Duke of Rothesay and it will use by-products from nearby malt whisky distilleries to produce renewable energy and a animal feed protein supplement. The plant, owned and operated by the joint venture of Helius Energy (HE), Rabo Project Equity…
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European ethanol association ePure has responded to the draft report by European parliament member Corinne Lepage which focused on the European Commission’s (EC) proposal for a directive amending the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) and the directive of the use of energy from renewable sources (RED). ‘We see some constructive suggestions in Lepage's draft report but also some ideas that…
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Kerala state agriculture minister K P Mohanan says his department wants to green light the installation of biogas plants in government and aided schools across the state. The waste generated at the schools will be treated for biogas production and used back on-site to help power canteens. There will be separate schemes for primary, UP and high schools. Primary schools will have a scheme of Rs…
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The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Centre in Wisconsin, US has had its funding by the US Department of Energy (US DoE) renewed for another five years. The centre receives $25 million (€19.2 million) a year from the US DoE and supports almost 400 researchers. ‘Our researchers, in partnership with the states of Wisconsin, Michigan and affiliated industries, have made…
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Global biomass and renewable energy plant suppliers DP CleanTech (DPC) has released details about its new European manufacturing operations After putting its European division, based in Tonder, Denmark into receivership last February, the company overall have recorded a profit in the first quarter of this year. ‘It has been a very challenging couple of years in the European clean energy…
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A new biogas project in was inaugurated in Finland in March under the banner of ‘the world’s biggest’ facility of its type. Operated by Vaskiluodon Voima, the 140MW biomass gasification plant aims to help the country cut its use of coal down by around 40%. It has been built in Vassa, central Finland. The plant is using wood residue from the internal forestry industry as its…
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