Japanese firm Idemitsu Kosan has initiated operations to produce black pellets using the assets (unused land, facilities) available at Ensham coal mine in Queensland, Australia. Under this project through the firm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Idemitsu Australia Resources, Sorghum is cultivated and will be used as a biomass fuel. According to Idemitsu, the plant is known... [Read More]

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has awarded a $750,000 (€632,000) grant to help create 85 new jobs and increase commerce in Sumter County and the state’s Black Belt region. The Sumter County Commission will use funds to improve infrastructure necessary for Enviva, which is investing more than $140 million (€118 million) in building a wood pellet production facility... [Read More]

Smithers, British Columbia, is supporting the province’s climate change targets by diverting residual fibre that would otherwise be burned to Pinnacle Renewable Energy's new plant. Fibre from the Bulkey Timber Supply Area is now being transported to Pinnacle’s newly-developed Smithers Pellet Facility. A total of $1.2 million (€773,800) in funding from the Forest... [Read More]

Effingham Pellets, a subsidiary of Charles Ingram Lumber Company, has announced plans to establish operations in Florence County, South Carolina. The newly formed company is a wood pellet manufacturer and distributor that supplies wood pellets for export sale to Europe. The firm’s $5.4 million (€4.56 million) investment is estimated to create 10 jobs. Once up... [Read More]

SIMEC Atlantis Energy has entered into an exclusive debt financing agreement with South Korean financial firm Hana Financial Investment Co (HFI) to work on the Uskmouth conversion project. The two companies will collaborate to fund 100% of phase one (110 MW) of the Uskmouth conversion project through a senior secured loan to SIMEC Uskmouth Power (SUP). The Uskmouth... [Read More]

Waste Knot Energy has secured funding to build its first alternative fuel pelleting plant in Teesside, UK. The funding from Gresham House’s British Strategic Investment Fund (BSIF) will enable the firm to produce an alternative fuel to replace coal and pet-coke, reducing emissions. The facility will produce Waste Knot’s branded pellets – Green Knot pellets... [Read More]

Pinnacle Renewable Energy reported a 27% increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year. The firm reported record revenues of $132.2 million (€84.4 million) in Q2, compared to $104.2 million (€66.5 million) in Q2 2019. The results were also 19% above the company’s previous record of $110.7 million (€70.7 million), set... [Read More]

A new wood pellet plant opened for business in Gomel Oblast, Belarus on 6 August. The plant has a capacity of 20,000 tonnes per annum and received investments exceeding €5.1 million. Construction of the plant will meet the head of state’s instruction to fully process timber resources in the country. Belarusian Forestry Minister Vitaly Drozhzha said: “The implementation... [Read More]

A $1 million (€633,000) grant will help Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation increase the use of waste wood fibre, bring more wood products to market, and support forestry jobs in the area. The grant from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) will support the joint venture company owned by the Tsideldel First Nation (Alexis Creek First Nation) and the Tl’etinqox... [Read More]

Drax and GB Railfreight (GBRf) have agreed to extend their biomass transport contract until 2025. GBRf will continue to transport biomass supplies from UK ports to Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire. The teams have worked closely together for the past decade to maintain the supplies needed to run the UK’s largest power station, generating renewable power for millions... [Read More]

UK-based biomass firm Active Energy has received the necessary permits to complete its plant in North Carolina, US. The company received the construction and air permit for its CoalSwitchTM plant in Lumberton from the NC Division of Air Quality. With the issuance of the permit, Active Energy can commence the final stage of planning and construction for its plant, targeting... [Read More]

Grants for the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) from the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) are helping to create jobs, fight climate change, and reduce wildfire risk near its community. To date, FESBC’s grants have supported the removal of 64,000 cubic metres (m3) of debris from forest fires (slash) and over the next two years, the figure will rise to 200,000... [Read More]

Enviva has completed the acquisition of an industrial-scale wood pellet production plant in Georgia, US, and associated contracted terminal capacity in Savannah, Georgia. The firm’s growing operational footprint across the US southeast now includes nine wood pellet production facilities and five deep-water export terminals across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,... [Read More]

Drax Group has hailed a “robust” first half of the year, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm’s adjusted EBITDA is up 30% compared to 2019, including the estimated £44 million (€48.8 million) impact of COVID-19. The company said its full-year adjusted EBITDA would include an estimated £60 million (€66.5 million) impact from the pandemic. The... [Read More]

A survey conducted by ENplus®, a certification scheme for wood pellets, found that 75% of certified producers have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two out of three companies are already planning the introduction of new pellet prices for end-users, according to the organisation. The goal of the survey was to gather data on the current impact of... [Read More]

Firefighters in British Columbia were called out to Pacific BioEnergy’s wood pellet plant on 27 July. Prince George Fire Rescue (PGFR) was alerted to a possible explosion shortly before 5pm local time, according to the Prince George Citizen. Firefighters arrived to find a small amount of smoke coming from wood smouldering inside a conveyor system at the plant. The... [Read More]