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... [Read More]

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.... [Read More]

A new report has found that renewable materials such as biomass have been an important driving force in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Europe. A new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA), titled 'Renewable energy in Europe – approximately recent growth and knock-on effects,' says that without the deployment of renewable energy since 2005,... [Read More]

Renewable energy will play an important role in sustainably meeting India's growing energy needs. This was the message delivered by Adnan Amin, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) at RE-Invest, the First Renewable Energy Global Investors' Meet & Expo in New Delhi. India is the world's third largest economy and the fourth largest energy... [Read More]

Resolute Forest Products, an owner and operator of 40 pulp and paper mills and wood products facilities, and power generation facilities, and six First Nations chiefs have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) that sets out a framework for negotiating business agreements related to the company's sawmill investments in north western Ontario. In attendance at the signing,... [Read More]

In California, a consortium of US companies joined together with state energy officials to launch the Calgren Ethanol Biodigester, which utilises waste from dairy farms to power the production of tens of millions of gallons of ethanol. The Two-Stage Mixed Plug Flow Digester, designed by DVO of Wisconsin and built by Regenis, is the first California digester to use agricultural... [Read More]

In the US state of Georgia, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Constellation, a subsidiary of Exelon Corp., will jointly develop a biomass plant with a capacity of up to 50MW which will help run one of P&G's largest US facilities. The plant will significantly increase P&G's use of renewable energy and move the company closer to its 2020 target of obtaining 30%... [Read More]

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has published a 'first-of-its-kind scorecard', which evaluates airlines on their adoption of biofuels. The highest scoring carrier was Air France/KLM, followed by British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific and Alaska Airlines. 'It's great to see certain airlines becoming leaders in the use of sustainable... [Read More]

Blue Sphere, a developer of waste-to-energy projects, has closed a joint venture to build and operate a 5.2MW biogas plant in Charlotte, North Carolina, with affiliates of York Capital Management. Under the terms of the JV, Blue Sphere owns 25% of the project. The company received an initial payment of $1,250,000 (€1,108,000) in cash at the closing with a second payment... [Read More]

Renewable energy company Viaspace has announced that the comprehensive, independent feasibility study conducted by Pelican of the 12MW biomass power plant and co-located 834 hectare (2,060 acre) Giant King Grass (GKG) plantation project in Nicaragua has been completed. The feasibility study addresses the technical and economic issues of both the plantation and power plant,... [Read More]

Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) Thunder Bay Generating Station (TBGS) is now able to produce renewable power after being successfully converted to use advanced biomass. 'Ontario is a leader in building a clean energy system, and the completion of the conversion to use advanced biomass at Thunder Bay is key to building a cleaner future for the people of our province,'... [Read More]

Aria Energy, a provider of baseload renewable energy, will partner with Casella Waste Systems, a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, to develop, build, own and operate a 4.8MW landfill gas-to-energy project located at the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, Maine, US. The facility, which will utilise methane gas generated through organic... [Read More]

In the UK, bioenergy and bulk materials handling firm Saxlund International, part of the Opcon energy and environmental group, has secured contracts from Barhale Trant Utilities to design and supply sludge cake truck loading silos for Southern Water waste water treatment works (WWTW) at Budds Farm in Havant and Millbrook near Southampton. The projects include the construction... [Read More]

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... [Read More]

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... [Read More]

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... [Read More]