Pellets News

In the US, Lignetics and Bear Mountain Forest Products have completed a merger to create a company that will produce approximately 450,000 tonnes a year of wood pellets, making it the largest residential wood pellet fuel producer in the country. The company will also be the only pellet manufacturing company that will have wood pellet facilities on both the East and West Coast, in locations…
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Vega Biofuels has placed an order for thousands of tonnes of biocoal for shipment to an international client. Manufactured from timber waste using torrefaction technology, biocoal has a high energy density of up to 13,000 BTUs/lb and is considered a renewable energy fuel that meets the Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) in the US. Vega recently announced that it was…
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New England Wood Pellet (NEWP), a subsidiary of Rentech, has acquired the assets of Allegheny Pellet Corp. The acquisition, Rentech says, expands NEWP's market position as the largest producer of wood pellets for the US heating market. Allegheny's wood pellet plant in Youngsville, Pennsylvania has been operating since 1993. The facility processes residuals from local sawmills into wood pellets…
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Wood pellet manufacturer and trader German Pellets has taken over the pellet business of Nord Energie, effective 16 February. Nord Energie supplies wood pellets to consumers in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and northern Lower Saxony and has more than five years' experience in pellet trading and logistics. The acquisition by German Pellets includes its vehicle fleet, pellet storage resources and the…
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The European Commission announced on 19 February that it is assessing whether UK plans to support the conversion of the Lynemouth coal power plant to operate on biomass were in line with EU state aid rules. The Commission will investigate further to ensure that public funds used to support the project are limited to what is necessary and do not result in overcompensation. It will also assess…
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SBP has announced that certification body SCS Global Services has been accepted as an applicant and is now able to progress towards achieving SBP-approved status. The SBP Framework of standards and processes enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source their raw material responsibly and that it complies with the legal, regulatory and sustainability requirements applicable to…
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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service has released a new report on the effects of the industrial wood pellet industry on southern US forests. Significantly, the Southern Research Station (SRS) study found that European demand for US wood pellets has a positive effect on US forests and forest markets. The report found that increased demand for wood pellets from the US South,…
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Portugal-based wood pellet producer Enerpellets Group has decided to build a 250,000 tonne per year wood pellet production plant in Florida, US, costing an estimated $60 million (€52.5 million). The decision was made following a period of analysis and evaluation, which was supported by Enerpellets' experience gained operating two existing plants in Portugal. According to Enerpellets, the US…
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Wood pellet exports from North America rose again in the third quarter of 2014, with an increased number of shipments heading to Asia, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review (NAWFR). Prior to 2014, more than 95% of wood pellets leaving North America were shipped to Europe. However, this trend changed last year when exports to Europe increased just slightly, while exports to Asia rose…
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In the UK, the Port of Tyne has appointed the main contractor for the £25 million (€33.4 million) extension of Riverside Quay, the port's multifunctional deep-sea facility at South Shields. The main contract for over 300m of quay work includes a 125m quay extension, an upgrade of 118m of existing quay and 90m of quay wall renewal at the former McNulty site. The £18.6 million…
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PHI Group, a company focused on energy and natural resources, has signed an agreement with Alabama-based AG Materials to jointly set up a 200,000 tonne wood pellet mill in Florida, US. A statement released by the companies says that the joint venture secured approximately 400,000 tonnes of Southern Yellow Pine feedstock per year from a reliable industrial source for the wood pellet factory. The…
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Construction of a proposed pellet plant at Tolko's Lavington mill will begin later this month, Tolko Industries and Pinnacle Renewable Energy have announced. The decision follows a significant consultation and review process, and permit approval from the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and the District of Coldstream. The plant will employ technology which advances the way in which pellets are…
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RusForest, a Swedish forestry company with operations in Russia, has engaged mechanical engineering firm Hekotek to build a wood pellet production facility at the company's Magistralny sawmill in Eastern Siberia. Under the contract, Hekotek will deliver equipment for the construction of the plant, which will have an annual capacity of 30,000 tonnes. The facility will be located at company's…
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Maine Woods Pellet Company is building a biomass-fired power plant in Athens, Maine and has chosen Turboden to supply what will be the world's largest biomass-based Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). Maine Woods Pellet owns and operates a wood pellet production facility. This plant can produce up to 100,000 tonnes per year of wood pellets for the bulk and bagged fuel markets, making it the largest…
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