Other News

Renewable energy company Biogen, a 50/50 joint venture between Kier and Bedfordia, has signed a deal with the city of Edinburgh and Midlothian Councils to design and build a new food waste recycling plant. The anaerobic digestion plant, to be based in Midlothian, will process 30,000 tonnes of waste per year made up of household food waste collected by the local authorities and food waste…
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Bioenergy plant operator Katrinefors Kraftvärme (KK) is set to build a new CHP plant in Sweden with local municipal energy company VänerEnergi. This will be the second plant involving KK, a 50/50 joint venture owned by Metsä Tissue (MT), and it will be based in Mariestad near a MT mill. Construction is slated to start this April and be operational by the end of 2014. MT will supply…
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New government figures have revealed 2012 was a strong year for renewable energy generation in the UK. A report released at the end of March put the UK’s generated electricity from renewables last year at 11.3% overall, and 12.5% in the fourth quarter. It is believed much of this growth is due to new generating projects coming online across all renewable sectors, with biomass input…
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The first commercial biogas plant in South Africa is nearing construction in Bronkhorstspruit. Project development company Bio2Watt will build, own and operate the 3MW capacity facility, which it aims to have online by the end of spring 2014 latest. The Bronkhorstspruit location allegedly provides the project with proximity to key fuel supplies, grid access and sufficient water supplied by one of…
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Canada-based Port Allen, owned by the Port of Greater Baton Rouge, may become the location for a new wood pellet facility. Biomass Secure Power (BSP), situated in British Columbia, has an option on 90 acres of the Port Allen land up until the end of August. BSP CEO Jim Carroll says a plant would represent ‘$400 million (€307 million) investment across four phases which could ultimately…
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Two hospitals in Cambridge, UK are set to benefit from a multi-million pound investment from the Green Investment Bank for a biomass project. The £18 million (€21 million) injection is the Bank’s first foray into aiding a National Health Service renewable energy project. If planning permission is approved, the new facility will provide Addenbrooke and Rosie hospitals with a…
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Denmark-based conglomerate Maersk is working on two new projects to develop biomass-based marine fuels. Each project involves work using lignin taken from plants and from the production of paper and bioethanol. ‘Lignin has a variety of industrial uses already because of its chemical characteristics, energy content and its abundance,’ says Peter Normark Sørensen of Maersk Oil…
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The Canadian government has awarded the village of Telkwa a grant to retrofit a municipal building with a biomass heating system. The grant comes in at CA$680,230 (€522,375) and the facility will burn waste wood from a nearby forest. As well as the municipal building, heat will also be provided to a nearby business, a school and four residences. ‘Building clean energy infrastructure is…
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Associated British Ports (ABP) has signed a 15-year contract with Drax Power which will see terminal investments of up to £100 million (€118 million) to handle wood pellet shipments at its Humber ports of Hull and Goole. The move will support Drax Power’s conversion to a low carbon electricity producer through replacing coal with sustainable biomass. Its power station,…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes its country’s farmers will grow the most corn since 1936 as growers look to take advantage of high prices driven by last year’s drought. A forecast of 97.3 million acres of corn is set to be sown in 2013 to help boost dwindling supplies, while soyabean plantings have been placed at 77.1 million acres. Wheat crops will rise 1% to 56.4…
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Malaysia-based Wah Seong Corporation (WS) is to expland its renewable energy division via plans to build biomass generated power plants in Asean, South America and Africa. The first two plants at the head of the push would be delivered into Congo and Cambodia, tentatively based at 5MW and 10MW of power respectively. ‘Usually, the cost to build a plant is between $1.2 and $1.5 million per…
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German Pellets is set to start constructing a $300 million (€229.9 million) plant in Central Louisiana, US this April. The proposed 1 million tonne capacity a year plant will be located in the town of Urania and is expected to employ 80 people once completed. This is the second renewable project to hit Central Louisiana after Sundrop Fuels announced a new plant of its own…
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Seaweed Energy Solutions (SES) has reached an agreement to acquire 100% of Danish company Seaweed Seed Supply (SSS) to reinforce its position in large-scale seaweed cultivation for renewable energy. SSS´ goal of increasing production to 100,000 tons by 2017 from the current 5,000 tons capacity can now become a reality via this purchase. SES technology will be introduced into Denmark and the…
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The Zimbabwe Electricity Regulatory Authority has received license application to build a biomass power plant from Lurosa Investments. The proposed 2MW facility would generate electricity from timber waste feedstock in the east of the country. Zimbabwe currently uses more electricity than it produces at peak times (2,000MW against 1,200MW). It has been reported that 70,000 tonnes of biomass is…
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