News

Germany-based biomass technology provider Saxlund International has won a multi-million pound contract to supply a new biomass handling system as part of a coal-fired plant conversion. Saxlund, a subsidiary of Opcon, was awarded the £2.35 million (€2.9 million) contract just before the end of 2012 to help convert a power plant in Berlin into a biomass co-firing concern. The contract…
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Canada-based Vega Biofuels (VB) is to ship samples of its torrefied pellet product to European power companies for testing as the New Year commences. The EU is home to the world's largest regional energy market and accounts for one fifth of the world's energy use and European power companies have been mandated to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by the year 2020. VB believes Europe's biomass…
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It is understood, through a statement made by its Federal Ministry of Environment, Germany is to assist Ukraine in developing its own bioenergy production this year. Ukrainian scientists outlined draft plans for new facilities that would convert agricultural waste into thermal power and biogas via German technology as ministry representative Jurgen Keinhorst revealed that Germany is considering…
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Norway-based green energy producer Tergopower is developing a biomass-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Poland. The plant, to be constructed in Lublin for a cost of around €140 million ($184.6 million), is set to have 40MW capacity and will use various feedstocks, including wood and straw biomass, to be sourced from local farmers. Feedstock contracts for straw alone have been…
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The Olvi Foundation (OF) has decided to join in the funding of Green Fuel Nordic’s (GFN) biorefinery project. The decision will represent one of the most significant capital investors into the biorefinery project according to OF CEO Timo Saarelainen. GFN has spent the last 12 months making different players more aware of bio-oil, its production, applications and benefits. Its board believes…
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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be seeking a new administrator after Lisa Jackson stepped down from the position after four years. It is believed Jackson told President Barack Obama of her decision to leave her post shortly after his re-election in November. Below is the statement that Jackson issued upon her departure: ‘I want to thank President Obama for the honour he…
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A biomass project slated for construction near Truckee, US has been given the green light by the Placer County Planning Commission. Approval for the 2MW facility was awarded on 20 December and it will convert local wood biomass into gas to power turbines to produce electricity. The facility will be based over 11,000m2 and a further one acre area will be used for fuel storage. A contractor is due…
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China-based Sino Bioenergy has completed a transaction to own a controlling stake in Huizhou Biotech. Sino has spent $13.5 million (€10.1 million) to acquire a 55% stake in the research company, which will produce around 3,000 tonnes of rice as biomass feedstock a year. ‘This is a significant acquisition that will start producing profit immediately for us,’ says Sino CEO Daniel…
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Plasco Energy Group has proposed a waste conversion facility to be constructed in Ottawa, Canada. An agreement has been signed with the City of Ottawa and the plant is set to convert around 150,000 tonnes of waste a year. The City has signed up to supply 109,500 tonnes per year of Ottawa's municipal solid waste and has first refusal to supply the balance of plant capacity for the first 20 years,…
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North America-based energy company Emera has acquired Brooklyn Energy, a biomass electrical co-generation facility, located in Nova Scotia. The $25 million (€18.8 million) transaction was completed alongside the government of Nova Scotia.‘Brooklyn Energy and its employees are an important addition to our energy generation portfolio because they produce electricity in accordance with…
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A new agreement has been signed that will see Cenovus Energy purchase the carbon dioxide created by a new carbon capture and storage facility under construction by SaskPower. Cenovus will purchase the full volume of CO2, approximately 1 million tonnes per year, captured at the Saskatchewan-based facility and use it for enhanced oil recovery at a nearby project it operates on behalf of its…
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Researchers at Clemson University and commercial forestry business ArborGen are to jointly study the potential use of poplar trees for bioenergy and biofuels feedstock in the US. The South Carolina-based project will see the pair plant thousands of poplar trees on-site at the university’s Pee Dee Centre. ArborGen's southeastern field research manager David Brown says that positive results…
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Bioenergy and bio-based product sectors received a $10 million (€7.5 million) boost from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) this month. The announcement was made by agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, who also highlighted the growth potential in the automobile industry of bio-based products via research conducted by the Iowa State University USDA’s National Institute of Food and…
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A consortium is to use a multi-million euro grant to construct a large-scale biomass refinery in the Netherlands. The companies involved are BioMCN, Siemens, Linde, and Visser and Smit Hanab, which received a €199 million NER300 grant to fund the project also known as Woodspirit. NER300 is a financing instrument, jointly managed by the European Commission (EC), European Investment Bank and…
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