UPM, UPM-Kymmene
Date: 2020-02-12
In Finland, Helsinki-headquartered UPM-Kymmene Oyj reports it will invest €550 million ($600 million) in a biorefinery at Leuna, Germany, that will use locally-sourced wood biomass to produce a variety of 100 pct wood-based biochemicals -- bio-monoethylene glycol (BioMEG), bio-monopropylene glycol (BioMPG), industrial sugars and lignin-based renewable functional fillers. The facility is expected to produce roughly 220,000 metric tpy when fully operation by the end of 2022.

UPM-Kymmene' buiness companies include: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Paper Asia, UPM Paper ENA and UPM Plywood (Source: UPM-Kymmene Corp., 10 Feb., 2020) Contact: UPM-Kymmene Corp, Jussi Pesonen, Pres., Tel. +358 204 15 111, Fax. +358 204 15 110, www.upm.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Wood.Woody Biomass,  UPM,  Biochemical,  Biofuel,  

Virginia Grassroots Coalition
Date: 2020-02-10
In the Old Dominions State, a letter to the Virginia General Assembly from the Virginia Grassroots Coalition, with over 40 participating member groups, calls for the removal of biogass-fired power facilities from Virginia's renewable portfolio standard, as follows:

Though touted as a clean, environmentally safe alternative to fossil fuels, wood pellets are a carbon-intense, destructive and polluting industry based in flawed carbon accounting in international agreements;

Wood pellet material sourcing leads to massive deforestation of critical habitats, and Enviva alone is responsible for 50 acres a day of clear-cut land:

Pellet production facilities release dangerous air pollutants including particulate matter and volatile organic compounds putting surrounding communities at higher risk for health complications.

Burning wood pellets releases 65 pct more CO2 than coal per megawatt hour. In order to keep global climate change below 1.5 degrees Celsius, wood pellets must not be used as an energy alternative.

The letter also notes UK-based researchers found last year that burning wood is a "disaster" for climate change because older trees release large amounts of carbon when they are burned and aren't always replaced with replanted forests. Even when trees are replaced, it can take up to 100 years to cultivate a wooded area that soaks up as much carbon as was previously released. And the fuel burned in shipping wood pellets to Europe is also a significant source of emissions. (Source: Virginia Grassroots Coalition, 9 Feb., 2020) Contact: Virginia Grassroots Coalition, www.virginiagrassroots.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

Nova Scotia
Date: 2020-02-05
In Halifax, the government of Nova Scotia reports it has issued tenders to five pre-qualified vendors for for the conversion of fossil fuel heating systems in six public buildings. The work being tendered includes the design, construction and operation of woody biomass boilers that use wood chips from private woodlots, according to a government press release.

The tender closes on March 5, and the biomass boilers should be operating by the end of November 2020. (Source: Gov. of Nova Scotia, PR, 3 Feb., 2020) Contact: Gov. of Nova Scotia - Tenders, 800-670-4357, www.procurement.novascotia.ca

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

Velocys,Worley
Date: 2020-02-05
In the UK, Oxford-based sustainable fuels specialist Velocys plc is reporting the appointment of North Sydney, Australia-based Worley to manage the development of pre-feasibility, feasibility and FEED packages for all projects in the Velocys portfolio.

The Velocys technology package converts waste feedstocks into sustainable aviation and road transport fuels.

Velocys also notes it has now selected all the technology suppliers for its Bayou Fuels woody-biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The same technology package will be used for the Altalto Immingham waste-to-fuels project in the U.K. (Source: Velocys, PR, Chem Eng., 4 Feb., 2020) Contact: Velocys, Henrik Wareborn, CEO, +44 1235 838 621, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com; Worley, Paul Seaton, Pres., www.worley.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  Worley,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass-to-Fuel,  Aviation Biofuel,  Biofuel,  

Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels, US Advanced Bio-Fuels, Inc.
Date: 2020-02-03
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels LLC (NWABF), a wholly owned subsidiary of Frederick, Maryland-based US Advanced Bio-Fuels, Inc. (USABIO), is reporting an off-take agreement with Delta Airlines under which the air carrier will purchase sustainable aviation fuel, if produced, from NWABF. The NWABF process uses the gasification of woody biomass to produce syngas for the Fischer-Tropsch process.

NWABF's project would utilize forestry waste woody biomass to produce biofuel which would qualify under an approved carbon-reducing pathway recognized by ASTM. NWAF is currently carrying out a previously announced feasibility study to determine the potential for a production facility in Washington state. If constructed the Washington state plant would supply Delta's operations Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles by mid-2020.

NWABF is developing second-generation, commercial scale, cellulosic renewable bio jet fuel refineries with the first project being developed in the Pacific Northwest. (Source: Delta, Green Car Congress, 1 Feb., 2020) Contact: Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels LLC, 602-753-8386 www.nwabiofuels.com; US Advanced Bio-Fuels, Inc., (301) 644-1395, www.advancedbiofuelsusa.info

More Low-Carbon Energy News US Advanced Bio-Fuels,  Inc.,  Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels,  Aviation Biofuel,  

GEEN Holding
Date: 2020-02-03
In the Czech Republic, Prague-headquartered GEEN Holding reports it will soon break ground on its third woody biomass power plant in Gospic, Croatia. The plant is expected to be fully operational and grid connected by mid 2021.

In Decemeber 2019, GEEN announced it had three waste wood biomass-fired power plant in operation at a total cost of €80 million. was built.

GEEN Holding a.s. is an energy, engineering and investment group which was formed by 31 companies. GEEN has six operating hydro, 10 photovoltaic power plants and e woody biomass plants in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, according to its website. (Source: GEEN Holding, Total Croatia News, 31 Jan., 2020) Contact: GEEN Holding, +420 511 111 950, geen@geen.eu, www.geen.eu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

UPM
Date: 2020-01-31
Helsinki-headquartered UPM reports it will invest €550 million in a biorefinery -- 100 pct wood-based biochemicals at Leuna, Germany. The 220,000 tpy biorefinery will convert locally-sourced solid wood biomass into next generation biochemicals: bio-monoethylene glycol (BioMEG) and lignin-based renewable functional fillers, bio-monopropylene glycol (BioMPG) and industrial sugars. The plant is expected to come online by the end of 2022. (Source: UOM, PR, Global NewsWire, Jan., 2020) Contact: UPM Biochemicals, Juuso Konttinen, Vice President, +358 40 5317405, juuso.konttinen@upm.com, www.upm.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News UPM,  Biofuel,  

Bureau of Land Management
Date: 2020-01-24
In Washington, the U.S. DOI Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has published a notice of availability establishing eligibility and selection criteria for biomass demonstration project proposals submitted for BLM-managed lands as authorized by the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self Determination Act Amendments of 2017. The notice pertains to both tribal biomass demonstration projects and Alaska Native biomass demonstration project proposals.

Under the The Act requires the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to enter into stewardship contracts or similar agreements with Indian tribes to carry out at least four new demonstrations projects to promote biomass energy and biofuel production as well as heat and electric power generation on Indian forest land and in nearby communities by providing reliable supplies of woody biomass from federal land. The requirement is in place for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021. That requirement is also in place for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021.

A full copy of the notice is HERE. (Source: BLM, Jan., 2020) Contact: BLM, www.blm.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Bureau of Land Management,  Woody Biomass ,  

Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2020-01-20
In British Columbia, Vancouver-based Pinnacle Renewable Energy reports it has inked a new 40,000 deadweight-ton ship charter for the delivery of its industrial wood pellets from British Columbia, Canada to customers in Japan where it has signed three wood pellet contracts within the last six months, according to the company release. (Source: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Bioenergy, 20 Jan., 2020) Contact: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Pinnacle Pellet, Robert McCurdy, CEO, (604) 270-9613, investors@pinnaclepellet.com, www.pinnaclepellet.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Pinnacle Renewable Energy,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

Enviv
Date: 2020-01-17
Bethesda, Maryland-based wood pellet supplier Enviva Holdings Inc is reporting an important piece of the Little River watershed in the North Carolina Piedmont region will be protected for years to come in part through the help of a $20,000 grant from the Enviva Forest Conservation Fund to the Three Rivers Land Trust. The Fund’s support leveraged another $660,000 in external funding, allowing the Land Trust to purchase a permanent conservation easement on approximately 230 acres adjacent to another conservation site that protects one of the few remaining bogs in the Piedmont region. The property is a unique landscape with high ecological and conservation value and contains a mix of bottom land hardwoods and long leaf pine forests.

According to its website, the Fund's goal is to be a catalyst for investments in critical forest and habitat conservation in the North Carolina coastal plain and southeastern Virginia region. More than three years into the planned 10-year partnership, seventeen projects have been funded with a total commitment of over $2 million including the grant announced today. When these projects are completed, the Fund will have protected an estimated 24,500 acres of sensitive wetland forest and other habitats. (Source: U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, 16 Jan., 2020) Contact: U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities , 864.233.7646, 864.235.3842 - fax, info@usendowment.org, www.usedndowmwnt.org; : Enviva Holdings LP, Enviva Biomass, Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, VP, (301) 615-5560, jennifer@envivabiomass.com, www.envivabiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviva,  Wood Pellet,  Woody Biomass,  

Barry Biomass
Date: 2020-01-15
In Wales, the long delayed 86,000 tpy Barry Biomass waste woody biomass facility on Barry Island reports it is near completing its testing phase and has commissioned the plant's wood chipping system and designed to recover energy from pre-prepared mixed waste wood gasification turbine, generator set. The plants expects to go into full production later this year.

The 10 MW facility, which was financed by Aviva Investors, will process shredded mixed waste wood from households and industry, include items such as pallets, fence panels, cupboards and similar biomass. (Source: Barry Biomass, LetsRecycle.co, 14 Jan., 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

Westervelt,Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2019-12-30
In "The Heart of Dixie", Tuscaloosa-based Westervelt Co. reports it is partnering with Vancouver, B.C.-based Pinnacle Renewable Energy to construct a woody biomass-wood pellet production plant in the city of Demopolis. The 360,000 metric tpy plant is aiming for an early 2021 startup, according to a statement.

Pinnacle will reportedly hold a 70 pct stake in the plant, Westervelt will hold 20 pct and Two Rivers Lumber Co. which will supply the plant with sawmill waste for pellet production, will hold the remaining 10 pct. (Source: Westervelt Co., Various Media, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Dec., 2019) Contact: Westervelt, Brian Luoma, CEO, 205-562-5800,www.westerveldtlumber.com; Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Pinnacle Pellet, Robert McCurdy, CEO, (604) 270-9613,investors@pinnaclepellet.com, www.pinnaclepellet.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Westervelt,  Pinnacle Renewable Energy ,  Wood pellet,  

Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2019-12-16
In British CVolumbia, Vancouver-based Pinnacle Renewable Energy is reporting a three-year fiber supply agreement with forest management company Alkali Resource Management Ltd. (ARM) under which ARM will process, store and deliver woody biomass harvest residuals to Pinnacle for use at its Williams Lake facility in British Columbia.

Pinnacle produces sustainable industrial wood pellet fuel for large-scale thermal power generators as a greener alternative to produce reliable baseload renewable power. The Company operates eight industrial wood pellet production facilities in western Canada and one in Alabama, and owns a port terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C. Pinnacle has entered into long-term take-or-pay contracts with utilities in the U.K., Europe and Asia that represent an average of 108% of its production capacity through 2026. (Source: Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc., PR,CNW, 16 Dec., 2019) Contact: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, 877-737-4344, investors@pinnaclepellet.com, , www.pinnaclepellet.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Pinnacle Renewable Energy news,  Woody Biomass news,  Wood Pellet news,  

Stora Enso,C-Green
Date: 2019-12-16
Helsinki-headquartered Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso reports it is producing bio-sludge from woody biomass waste water at its fluting mill in the community of Heinola, Finland. The bio-sludge is dried and processed into biofuel using technology developed and patented by Swedish company C-Green Technology.

C-Green's OxyPower HTC process uses an innovative application of hydrothermal carbonisation, which converts complex organic compounds into sterile odourless biofuel. The pilot plant processes 16,000 tpy of bio-waste into fuels which is used in the mill and for heat in the town of Heinola, which has around 20,000 inhabitants.

Stora Enso develops and produces solutions based on wood and biomass for a range of industries and applications worldwide, leading in the bioeconomy and supporting our customers in meeting demand for renewable eco-friendly products, according to the company website. (Source: Stora Enso, Biofuels 13 Dec., 2019) Contact: C-Green Technologies, Erik Oden, CEO , +46 8 93 50 40, www.c-green.se; Stora Enso, Jari Suominen, +43-664-6183907, jari.suominen@stroaenso.com, www.storaenso.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Stora Enso,  C-Green,  Biofuel,  

Enviva
Date: 2019-12-04
Further to our October 11th edition, Bethesda, Maryland-based wood pellet supplier Enviva Holdings, LP, the world's largest producer of wood pellets, is reporting receipt Alabama Department of Environmental Management permitting to construct a new facility in Alabama, US. The new $175 million facility at the Port of Epes Industrial Park in Sumter County is expected to produce around 1,150,000 metric tpy wood pellets from locally sources woody biomass wastes. Construction is expected to break ground in early 2020. (Source: Enviva, Bioenergy, Dec., 2019) Contact: Enviva Holdings LP, Enviva Biomass, Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, VP, (301) 615-5560, jennifer@envivabiomass.com, www.envivabiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviva,  Wood Pellet,  Woody Biomass,  

Active Energy Group
Date: 2019-12-02
London, UK-based Active Energy Group is confirming a 20-year license agreement with Westbank, British Columbia-based forestry waste management specialist RMD Environmentals Inc under which RMD will construct processing plants utilizing Active Energy's CoalSwitch technology.

RMD plans to construct and operate stand-alone and joint venture-based CoalSwitch plants in Alberta and British Columbia with the support and involvement of provincial governments, Canadian forestry managers/owners, Indigenous groups, timberlands operators and downstream production companies.

The CoalSwitch product is made from woody biomass including pulp and saw mill by-products such as bark, sawdust and thinning, and wood which is over-age, under-quality, blow-down, beetle-kill, forest-fire damaged, or industrial waste. CoalSwitch can be burned by old, coal-fired generation facilities without the need for a retrofit. (Source: RMDE, PR, Canadian Biomass, 28 Nov., 2019) Contact: RMDE, Grand Chief Ronald Derrickson, Chairman, Commercial Opportunities/Investor Relations: Richard.Spinks@rmde.ca www.rmde.ca; Active Energy Group, Coal Switch, Michael Rowan, CEO, +44 (0) 20 3021 1500, www.active-energy.com, www.aegplc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Active Energy Group,  CoalSwitch,  

DRAX
Date: 2019-11-22
In the UK, power producer Drax Group plc, through its Drax Biomass subsidiary, report it plans to increase its present 1.5 million mtpy wood pellet production to 5 million mtpy by 2027. The company's three U.S plants will increase production by by 350,000 metric tpy over the next two years. Drax notes it is also looking at developing an additional 3 million mtpy of capacity over the next seven years.

According to a company statement, Drax produced 650,000 metric tons of wood pellets during the first half of 2019, a sligth drop from the same period in 2018. The company also noted the expansion in biomass capacity would allow it to develop an unsubsidized biomass generation business by 2027. (Source: DRAX, Biomass, 20 Nov., 2019) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 0 1757 618381, www.draxpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass,  

NYSERDA
Date: 2019-11-22
In the Empire State, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Adirondack Park Agency, and New York State Police are reporting the commissioning of a woody biomass pellet-fired heating system at the State Office Campus in Ray Brook.

The $3 million project, developed in partnership with DEC, State Police, APA, the New York Power Authority and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's (D) BuildSmart NY program, which calls for a 20 pct reduction in energy consumption by all state agencies by 2020. The installation is also expected to cut annual energy costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 391 tpy.

NYSERDA provided more than $500,000 for the project with the balance split by the three benefiting state agencies. (Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, NYSERDA, 19 Nov., 2019) Contact: NYSERDA, Alicia Barton, Pres., CEO, (518) 862-1090, www.nyserda.ny.gov; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, www.dec.ny.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News NYSERDA,  Biomass Heat,  Woody Biomass,  

Purdue University Center for Plant Biology
Date: 2019-11-18
In West Lafayette, Indiana, researchers at the Purdue University Center for Plant Biology (C3Bio) report their study of ways to increase production of biofuels from non-food biomass has identified lignin, a complex compound in cell walls, blocks access to plant carbohydrates that could be cleaved into sugars and then fermented into biofuels, as one of several barriers to the efficient conversion of that biomass.

The study notes researchers have found a way of removing lignin and making useful products from it, as well as getting access to plant carbohydrates for production of biofuels. Even with lignin removed, however, the Purdue team had to find ways to break the tightly connected plant cells apart so that chemical catalysts or yeasts used in the biofuel refining process could do their jobs.

With all the lignin removed through a nickel-carbon catalysis, the research team treated poplar wood particles with trifluoroacetic acid to loosen the tightly packed crystalline cellulose and its aggregation into large bundles in plant cell walls. The trifluoroacetic acid causes the cellulose to swell, making it easier to access the glucose molecules present in the cell walls for fermentation to ethanol -- or using other chemical catalysts discovered by the C3Bio team, the cellulose and other carbohydrates can be converted to platform chemicals, such as hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid, which are substrates or precursors for liquid hydrocarbon fuels. (Source: Purdue Center for Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology Journal, AgriNews, 9 Nov., 2019)Contact: Purdue Center for Plant Biology, C3Bio, Prof. Maureen McCann, 765-496-1779, mmccann@purdue.edu, www.purdue.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Lignin,  Woody Biomass,  Purdue University,  

Goodfuels, BTG
Date: 2019-11-15
Dutch sustainable marine Biofuels specialist Goodfuels is reporting it and biomass technology group BTG will establish BTG-neXt -- a new high-tech company that can convert crude pyrolysis oil into 100 pct sustainable diesel biofuel suitable for the maritime shipping sector. It will be the first refinery in the world for an advanced marine biofuel based on pyrolysis oil, produced from woody biomass wastes, grass cuttings and similar plant materials.

The technology for producing oil via pyrolysis from plant-based waste was developed 30 years ago at the University of Twente.

The new demonstration facility has a planned 1,000 tpy production capacity. Depending on the demo tests, production can be scaled-up to support the industry in meeting International Maritime Organisation (IMO) targets of a 50 pct reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050 -- roughly 85 pct reduction per vessel. GoodFuels intends to market the pilot volumes produced to further strengthen the commercial business case. The ports of Rotterdam and Eemshaven are the locations being considered for the first commercial processing plant. (Source: Goodfuels, Hellenic, 14 Nov., 2019) Contact: GoodFuels, Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO, +31 (0) 85 8000 238, info@goodfuels.com, www.goodfuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Goodfuels,  Marine Biofuel,  pyrolysis oil,  BTG,  

National Resources Defense Council
Date: 2019-11-13
Burnout: EU Clean Energy Subsidies Lead to Forest Destruction, a new report from the not-for-profit National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) highlights the environmental impact of the practice of burning biomass as fuel.

For the purpose of allocating energy subsidies, the EU defines biomass as a clean energy source; however, the process of burning wood for electric power production both releases high levels of carbon emissions and contributes to the destruction of forest ecosystems. As forests act as a "carbon sink", absorbing CO2 which would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

The report, which is based on research provided by economic policy consultancy Trinomics, covers biomass subsidies in 15 EU Member States between 2105 and 2018. Overall in 2017, the 15 Member States assessed for the report spent a total of €6.6 billion in direct subsidies for energy production using biomass. The report identifies Denmark as the highest subsidiser of biomass energy per capita followed by the UK and Germany. their renewable energy subsidies on biomass production.

According to the Burnout: EU Clean Energy Subsidies Lead to Forest Destruction report, "Burning trees for electricity is not renewable and not a viable climate solution. Critically, no EU Member State has formally ruled out burning forest biomass for electricity in the future. That can and should change before we (NRDC) publish our next assessment. In the coming years, we hope and expect that in EU countries where massive biomass industry subsidies have become entrenched, policymakers will redirect this financial support toward genuinely zero-emitting and renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Countries considering new policies and incentives to replace aging fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure, both inside and outside the European Union, must rule out incentives for burning forest biomass instead of or alongside coal." (Source: NRDC, Gov. Europa, 12 Nov., 2019) Contact: NRDC, Kit Kennedy, Snr. Dir. Climate and Clean Energy Programme, 212.727.2700, nrdcinfo@nrdc.org, www.nrdc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News National Resources Defense Council ,  NRDC,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  

San Juan Islands Conservation District
Date: 2019-11-13
San Juan Islands Conservation District in Washington State is reporting receipt of $181,882 in grant matching funding from the Washington Department of Commerce Forest Products Financial Assistance Program for wood energy projects. On Nov. 5, the agency funded four proposed projects that provide heat, power, engineered fuel products and/or significant energy efficiency improvements.

This proposal includes a technology assessment, site analysis and conceptual design of an advanced wood energy microgrid gasifier system to generate heat and power for community facilities on Orcas.

The Forest Products Financial Assistance Program emphasizes projects that use woody biomass from forestry management activities and wood products manufacturing. to develop appropriate energy and biochar technologies to process woody biomass. Under the program, energy produced by a funded biomass plant would be around 2.6 million kilowatt-hours per year. . (Source: San Juan Islands Conservation District, Islands Weekly, 12 Nov., 2019) Contact: San Juan Islands Conservation District, www.sanjuanislandscd.org; Washington Department of Commerce Forest Products Financial Assistance Program, www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/forest-products-financial-assistance

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

Active Energy
Date: 2019-11-06
Following up on our 24th May, 2017 coverage, London, UK-based Active Energy PLC's planned and long delayed proposed woody biomass-pellet plant on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula is "far from a done deal but isn't dead in the water", according to Provincial Minister Gerry Byrne.

Active Energy's Newfoundland subsidiary Timberlands secured timber rights a year ago but to date no timber has been cut or delivered to the proposed project which has not yet broken ground. The provincial government issued two five-year commercial cutting permits to the company in November 2018 to harvest 100,000 cubic mpy of timber for the wood pellet plant in Hawke's Bay.

Active energy is best known for its CoalSwitch product which is made from woody biomass including pulp and saw mill by-products such as bark, sawdust and thinnings, and wood which is over-age, under-quality, blow-down, beetle-kill, forest-fire damaged, or industrial waste. CoalSwitch can be burned by old, coal-fired generation facilities without the need for a retrofit. (Source: Active Energy, CBC, Nov., 2019) Contact: Active Energy Group PLC, Richard Spinks, CEO, +44 (0)20 3021 1500, www.active-energy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Active Energy,  Biomass,  

Restoration Fuels,
Date: 2019-10-30
Restoration Fuels, an Oregon benefit corporation, is reporting its woody biomass torrification plant in the community of John Day, Grant County, Oregon is expected to begin production in mid-November, 2020. The plant will turn forest waste, woody biomass into a product that can be burned for fuel.

At full capacity, the $17.5 million plant at the Malheur Lumber mill is expected to produce 80,000-90,000 tpy of torrefied wood. The plant is partially funded by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities with some development expenses provided by the Forest Service and air pollution-reducing equipment funded by the Governor's Strategic Reserve Fund.

Restoration Fuels is in discussions with utilities from Europe and Asia and several power plants in the United States as possible customers. (Source: Restoration Fuels, Blue Mountain Eagle, Bend Bulletin, 28 Oct., 2019) Contact: Restoration Fuels, Matt Krumenauer, CEO, info@restorationfuels.com, www.restorationfuels.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Torrified Wood,  Woody Biomass,  

Saskpower
Date: 2019-10-30
On the Canadian prairies, Discover Moose Jaw is reporting SaskPower and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council have signed a PPA for up to 8 MW of biomass power from the Flying Dust First Nations-owned Meadow Lake Tribal Council Bioenergy Centre. The Center will generate power from locally sourced forest residues, woody biomass and sawmill residuals.

The plant is expected to generate sufficient electricity to power more than 5,000 homes and to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by more than one million tonnes over 25 years. A plant construction and startup date has not been set. begin. (Source: DiscoverMooseJaw.com, 27 Oct., 2019) Contact: Meadow Lake Tribal Council, www.mltc.net; SaskPower, Mike Marsh, (306) 566-2121, www.saskpower.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Saskpower,  Woody Biomass,  

US Industrial Pellet Association
Date: 2019-10-28
The Richmond, Virginia-based not-for-profit US Industrial Pellet Association (USIPA) is lauding the National Association of University Forest Resource Programs (NAUFRP) for its letter signed by more than 100 scientists and researchers calling on policymakers to consider key fundamentals related to forest-woody biomass and the benefits of wood energy.

The letter, which noted that the "carbon benefits of sustainable forest biomass are well established", cites a report from UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) which notes: "In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing forest carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustained yield of timber, fibre or energy from the forest, will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefit. Demand for wood helps keep land in forest and incentivizes investments in new and more productive forests, all of which have significant carbon benefits."

Reviewing more than 30 years of scientific research on forest biomass utilization, scientists from Yale, Harvard, and Georgia to Washington, Idaho, Berkeley and others identified four fundamentals for science-based decision-making on biomass energy production:

The carbon benefits of sustainable forest biomass energy are well established.

Measuring the carbon benefits of forest biomass energy must consider cumulative carbon emissions over the long term.

An accurate comparison of forest biomass energy carbon impacts with those of other energy sources requires the use of consistent time-frames in the comparison.

Economic factors influence the carbon impacts of forest biomass energy. (Source: The US Industrial Pellet Association, 25 Oct., 2019) Contact: The US Industrial Pellet Association, Deth Ginter, Exec. Dir., J. Marcus, (804) 775.5894, JMarcus@theusipa.org, www.theusipa.org; National Association of University Forest Resource Programs, www.naufrp.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News IPCC,  US Industrial Pellet Association ,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

Woody Biomass,Wood Pellet,Enviv,RWE
Date: 2019-10-28
Electricity power producer RWE and others will reportedly import thousands of tonnes of wood pellets from the US next year to burn in Dutch biomass power plants, with the help of a reported €11.4 billion of government subsidy. In total, 628 biomass installations in the Netherlands will receive subsidies, of which €2.6 billion is going to the RWE power plants in Geertruidenberg and Eemshaven, the paper said.

One US wood pellet producer -- Enviva in North Carolina -- has a contract to ship at least 200,000 tpy of wood pellets to RWE between 2020 and 2024. As previously noted, the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) warns governments should stop subsidizing biomass power plants because it is unsustainable. In addition, "burning wood does not produce very much energy and the net amount of CO2 which is released is greater than when burning coal or gas," the researchers said. It also noted that CO2 released by burning the wood pellets in the Netherlands is registered to the US which is a misleading "book-keeping trick imperiling the climate," according to the Dogwood Alliance. (Source: DutchNews.nl, 28 Oct., 2019) European Academies Science Advisory Council, www.easac.eu; Enviva Holdings LP, Enviva Biomass, Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, VP and CSO, www.envivabiomass.com; RWE, www.rwe.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviva,  Wood Pellet,  Woody Biomass,  RWE,  

Enviva
Date: 2019-10-11
Bethesda, Maryland-based wood pellet supplier Enviva Holdings, LP, the world's largest producer of wood pellets, reports it will construct a new production plant in Livingston, Alabama. The facility would use a mix of locally sourced softwood and woody biomass scrap to produce more than 3.5 million metric tpy of wood pellets.

Construction on the roughly $175 million plant is slated to get underway early next year for a mid-2021 commissioning and startup. Enviva owns and operates eight plants in the Southeastern US. (Source: Enviva, Oct., 2019) Contact: Enviva Holdings LP, Enviva Biomass, Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, VP and CSO, www.envivabiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviva,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

Velocys,Bayou Fuels
Date: 2019-10-11
UK-headquartered landfill gas-to-liquid fuels and chemicals producer Velocys Plc and its subsidiary Velocys, Inc. is reporting an agreement with Occidental Petroleum subsidiary Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (Oxy) under which Oxy will capture and store CO2 from Velocys' planned Bayou Fuels waste woody biomass-to-fuels project in Natchez, Mississippi.

According to OXY, it is uniquely positioned to transport and store the CO2 by leveraging Occidental's industry leadership in CO2 storage and utilization for enhanced oil recobery (EOR). (Source: Velocys, gasworld, 19 Oct., 2019)Contact: Velocys Plc, David Pummell, CEO, +44 1235 841 700, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com; Oxy Low Carbon Ventures LLC, www.oxy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  Biofuel,  Biorefinery,  Waste-to-Fuel,  Bayou Fuels,  

ReEnergy
Date: 2019-10-09
Following up on our March 13th report of the closure of ReEnergy's former 22-mw woody biomass-to-electricity facility due to the loss of a contract to sell renewable energy certificates (RECs) to the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), the 46-acre site and plant are still not completely demolished in preparation for the hand-over to the area development authority.

ReEnergy was recently granted an extension until Dec. 31 for completing the demolition and site cleanup, transferring the property and paying $22,000 in lieu of taxes. Two solar companies and a company that uses the pyrolysis high temperature process to turn wood into other products, have reportedly shown interest in the property.

ReEnergy owns and operates a biomass facility in Fort Drum, New York. (Source: Watertown Daily, NNY360, 7 Oct., 2019) Contact: ReEnergy Holdings, Sarah Boggess, Communications and Governmental Affairs, (518) 810-0200, sboggess@reenergyholdings.com, www.reenergyholdings.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News ReEnergy,  Lyonsdale,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  

Washington State University,GEVO
Date: 2019-10-07
Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels, LLC (NWABF) reports it is working with Washington State University's Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance (NARA), a project that established the availability and sustainability of woody biomass/forest residues as a feedstock for the production of aviation biofuels using Boulder, Colorado-based GEVO technology, The planned biorefinery, which is expected to go into production in 2023, would be constructed at Aberdeen, Washington.

As previously reported, Delta Air Lines, in partnership with NWABF, is investing $2 million to assess the biofuel refinery project's feasibility. Additionally, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded NARA with $39.5 million over 5-years. (Source: Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels, LLC (NWABF), Washington State Univ. Evergreen, 3 Oct., 2019) Contact: Washington State University, NARA, Ralph Cavalieri, (509) 335-5581, cavalieri@wsu.edu, www.nararenewables.org; Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels, LLC Chris Whitworth,Dir. Project Dev., www.facebook.com/NWABiofuels; Gevo, Patrick Gruber, CEO, 303-858-8358, pgruber@gevo.com, www.gevo.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News GEVO,  Aviation Biofuel,  Woody Biomass,  

AustroCel Hallein, OMV
Date: 2019-10-04
Vienna, Austria-headquartered oil and gas company OMV and AustroCel Hallein GmbH are reporting a multi-year agreement under which AustroCel will supply cellulosic "advanced" bioethanol derived from woody biomass -- spruce sawmill waste -- to OMV.

AustroCel Hallein is committed to the cascading use of resources: High-purity cellulose is produced from spruce, which comes from the sawmill industry as scrap; this cellulose is predominantly processed in Asia to make fibres for textile applications.

AustroCel is constructing Austria's first advanced bioethanol production facility in Hallein. The €42 million bioethanol plant is expected to begin production early in 2021. Source: AustroCel Hallein GmbH, Hydrocarbon Engineering, 3 Oct., 2019) Contact: AustroCel Hallein GmbH, Jorge Harbring, CEO, +43 6245 8900, www.austrocel.com; OMV, www.omv.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Ethanol.Bioethanol,  

Stora Enso
Date: 2019-09-25
In Stockholm, Stora Enso reports it is participating in the World Green Building Week, the largest annual and global communication campaign on sustainable buildings organized by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).

Stora Enso develops and produces solutions based on wood and biomass for a range of industries and applications worldwide, leading in the bioeconomy and supporting our customers in meeting demand for renewable eco-friendly products.

"Stora Enso has helped us lead the change towards a building sector that meets the decarbonization goals of the Paris Agreement, addressing both operational and embodied emissions. As a campaign ambassador and advocate for new policies such as the EU's 'Level(s)' framework that seek to mainstream life-cycle assessment, they are evidence to politicians that the sector is ready to deliver net zero carbon," according to James Drinkwater, Director of WorldGBC's Europe Regional Network.

Carbon dioxide emissions from construction materials -- mostly cement and steel -- account for approximately 11 pct of all global emissions. Stora Enso has also supported the creation of the WorldGBC's Bringing embodied carbon upfront report that highlights the importance of emissions from materials.

The World Green Building Council (WGBC) is the world's largest international organisation promoting the practice of sustainable building. Stora Enso Wood Products joined WGBC in 2017. (Source: Stora Enso, PR, 24 Sept., 2019) Contact: Stora Enso Wood Products Div., Jari Suominen, Div. Head, +43-664-6183907, jari.suominen@stroaenso.com, www.storaenso.com; World Green Building Council, James Drinkwater, www.worldgbc.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Building Sustainability,  ,  Stora Enso,  World Green Building Council,  

Dow Chemical, UPM Biofuel
Date: 2019-09-25
Chemicals giant Dow Chemical Company rports it is partnering with advanced biofuels producer UPM Biofuels for the commercialization of a plastics offering for the packaging industry made from a bio-based renewable feedstock.

Dow is integrating wood-based UPM BioVerno renewable naphtha -- a key raw material used to develop plastics -- into its slate of raw materials, creating an alternative source for plastics production. Dow is using this feedstock to produce bio-based polyethylene (PE) at its production facility in Terneuzen, The Netherlands, for use in food and other packaging applications.

Following a successful year-long trial program, Dow is now planning to scale production and address the increasing global demand for renewable plastics.

UPM BioVerno naphtha is produced at UPM's biorefinery in Lappeenranta, Finland, from crude tall oil, which is a residue of paper pulp production. (Source: Dow Chemical Co., PR, 24 Sept., 2019)Contact: Dow CHemicals, www.dow.com; UPM Biofuels, Sari Mannonen, VP . +358 45 265 1345, sari.mannonen@upm.com, www.upmbiofuels.com, www.upm.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News UPM BioVerno,  UPM Biofuel,  Dow Chemical,  Woody Biomass,  

Delta Air Lines,Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels
Date: 2019-09-18
U.S. air carrier Delta Air Lines reports it is partnering with Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels (NWABF) for a $2 million study to determine the feasibility of building a facility in Washington State to produce sustainable aviation fuel and other biofuel products.

The facility would utilize forestry waste and wood "slash" to produce sustainable fuels. The result would qualify under an approved carbon-reducing pathway recognized by the American Society of Testing and Materials.

Delta expects the study to be completed by the middle of 2020, at which time it will "evaluate the next steps in moving forward with the project's development" with the expectation that the project would be in production by the end of 2023. Biofuels produced at the facility could provide around 10 pct of the airline's annual jet fuel consumption in the West Coast region.

As previously reported, Delta operated its first carbon-neutral delivery flight, using biofuels on a new A321. The airline also purchases offsets for domestic flights into and out of seven high-traffic airports. (Source: Delta, Air Travel, Sept., 2019) Contact: Delta, Graeme Burnett, VP Fuel Management, www.delta.com; Northwest Advanced Bio-fuels, Dave Smoot, www.nifa.usda.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Biofuel,  Aviation Biofuel,  Delta Air Lines,  

Wood Pellet Association of Canada
Date: 2019-09-09
Since 2017, the government of Canada has been developing the Clean Fuel Standard (CFS), a low carbon fuel standard-type policy, to reduce the life-cycle carbon intensity of fuels and energy used in Canada. The CFS aims to achieve 30 million tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) of annual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2030.

The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC) has been providing input to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as it works to design and shape the CFS. And, upon review of ECCC's proposed regulatory approach, WPAC is seriously concerned that the government will not allow end-use fuel switching in the buildings/stationary fuel use sector.

WPAC believes it is unfair for ECCC to recognize fuel switching from gasoline to electricity or hydrogen in transportation, but not to recognize switching from heating oil to solid biofuels -- wood pellets or chips -- for Canada's second largest renewable energy product -- solid biomass heating. To that end, WPAC made the following representations to ECCC:

One of the three primary objectives of the CFS is low-cost compliance. By prohibiting recognition of fuel switching for stationary applications, ECCC will actually significantly increase the cost of CFS compliance, exclude the forest sector from participation in the short-term, and inhibit investment in the most proven commercial technology for displacement of heating oil -- wood pellet and chip boilers.

Canada consumes approximately three billion lpy of heating oil, the majority of which is consumed by Canadians in rural and Atlantic Canada. The latter accounts for 44 pct of heating oil consumption in the residential sector and 50 pct of heating oil consumption in the commercial/institutional sectors. Rural and Atlantic Canada also have among the lowest per capita income. ECCC's proposed regulatory approach will make CFS compliance for these low-income areas significantly more expensive than for those living in cities.

Under ECCC's proposed regulatory approach, the principal mechanism for ensuring compliance from heating oil primary suppliers will be to blend renewable diesel with heating oil. Since heating oil has low carbon intensity (CI) relative to other liquid fuels and much of the crude used to produce heating oil is sourced from outside of Canada, there is less opportunity for upstream reductions than with other liquid fuels. The 2030 target of 74 g CO2e/MJ is less than heating oil combustion emissions, meaning upstream efficiency improvements will be insufficient to meet the requirements. The only heating oil-miscible fuel that can also be stored outside in winter, as is often the case with heating oil, is renewable diesel.

Renewable diesel has a useful heat fuel cost of $65-82 per gigajoule (GJ) ($234-295 per MWh. In contrast, wood pellets, at $300-350 per tonne for residential sales, have a useful heat fuel cost of $20-24 per GJ. Wood pellets also have half the of default renewable diesel (29 g CO2e/MJ). Wood chips are half the carbon intensity of wood pellets which means, on an implied carbon price basis and assuming wholesale $0.75 per litre for heating oil, blending renewable diesel with heating oil has a fuel cost of $630/ per tonne CO2e to 884 per tonne CO2e. Switching from heating oil to wood pellets saves money on a fuel basis, in addition to avoiding taxes on heating oil. In this case, there is little reason to implement a complex policy such as the CFS.

Despite the billions of dollars invested in lignocellulosic liquid transportation biofuels, all technologies are still pre-commercial -- especially forest feedstock-based liquid transportation biofuels due to the recalcitrant structure of wood fibre. Co-processing of pyrolysis oil or biocrude in existing oil refineries at a meaningful volume will not occur before 2030. The forest sector represents over 75 pct of annually-available biomass resources in Canada and its exclusion from participation in the liquids class will dramatically increase the cost of fuel, especially in rural communities where wood chips and bioheat are a cost efficient and convenient source of energy. (Source: WPAC, Canadian Biomass, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 26 Aug., 2019) Contact: Wood Pellet Association of Canada, Gordon Murra, Exec. Dir., ; Environment and Climate Change Canada, www.canada.ca › environment-climate-change

More Low-Carbon Energy News Environment and Climate Change Canada,  Wood Pellet Association of Canada,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet ,  

Valmet, BS Energy
Date: 2019-09-06
Espoo, Finland-headquartered Valmet is reporting it will supply a biomass-fired boiler and a flue gas treatment plant to BS Energy's combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Braunschweig, Germany. The roughly €50 million boiler with its auxiliary equipment is in line with BS Energy's energy production strategy 2030 which aims to remove and replace coal-fired boilers by 2022.

The biomass-fired CHP plant will produce approximately 20 MW of electricity and 60 MW of district heat. The CYMIC circulating fluidized bed boiler included in Valmet's delivery will use recycled wood as its primary fuels to generate 27 kg/s of high-pressure steam at a pressure of 75 bar and a temperature of 525 C. The flue gas cleaning system included in the delivery will enable fulfilling the tightening emission standards.

BS Energy, a subsidiary company jointly owned by the City of Braunschweig, Veolia Deutschland GmbH, and Thuga AG, is the regional energy supplier in Braunschweig. (Source: Valmet, PR, Globe Newswire, 3 Sept., 2019) Contact: Valmet, Kai Janhunen, VP, www.valmet.com, www.twitter.com/valmetglobal; BS Energy, +49 531 3838000

More Low-Carbon Energy News Valmet,  BS Energy,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  

UPM Biofuels
Date: 2019-08-28
Helsinki-headquartered renewable diesel producer UPM Biofuels is touting "Forest Film", new product developed with UPM BioVerno naphtha, a 100 pct wood-based solution originating from sustainably managed forests.

The new product replaces traditional fossil-based virgin materials and offers an efficient way to reach sustainability goals without compromising on product performance, according to a release.

At UPM Raflatac, UPM Biofuels converts woody biomass pulp pulp production residue into renewable naphtha, a drop-in raw material for the chemical industry. (Source: UPM Raflatac, UPM Biofuels, Labels & Labeling, 27 Aug., 2019) Contact: UPM Raflatac, +44 1723 583661, www.upmraflatac.com; UPM Biofuels, Panu Routasalo, +358 45 265 1345, sari.mannonen@upm.com, www.upmbiofuels.com, www.upm.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News UPM Biofuels ,  

University of British Columbia
Date: 2019-08-21
The University of British Columbia (UBC) reports it will invest $20.4 million to expand its 2012 vintage wood waste-to-energy power plant. The expansion will include installation of a new boiler and increasing the plant's capacity to generate 70 pct of the hot water needed in the university's district energy system and cutting its CO2 emissions by 14,500 tpy. The project, with $7.6 million in Canadian government support, is slated to be completed in 2020.

UBC constructed its initial biomass-fueled research and demonstration facility in 2012 in partnership with Vancouver-based bioenergy firm Nexterra Systems and General Electric. (Source: Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver Sun Aug., 2019) Contact: UBC, David Woodson, Dir. Energy Services, (604) 822-2211, www.ubc.ca

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass Power,  Woody Biomass,  

Atlantic Power,Fortistar,CMS Energy
Date: 2019-08-16
In the Bay State, Dedham-based independent power producer Atlantic Power Corporation reports completion of its $20 million acquisition of the equity ownership interests held by AltaGas Power Holdings in Craven County Wood Energy in North Carolina and the Grayling Generating Station contracted biomass plants in Michigan.

The 48 MW Craven County Wood Energy facility has been in service since October 1990 . Atlantic Power acquired a 50 pct interest from AltaGas with the remaining 50 pct held by CMS Energy. Craven County burns wood waste, wood chips, poultry litter, forestry residues, mill waste, bark and sawdust, and has PPA with Duke Energy Carolinas.

In Michigan, the 37 MW Grayling Generating Station has been in service since June 1992 . Atlantic Power acquired a 30 pct interest from AltaGas , leaving Fortistar with 20 pct and CMS Energy with 50 pct. Grayling has a PPA with Consumers Energy. The plant burns wood waste from local mills, forestry residues, mill waste and bark. Both plants are operated by an affiliate of CMS Energy. (Source: Atlantic Power Corp., CNW Group, 14 Aug., 2019) Contact: Atlantic Power Corporation, (617) 977-2700, info@atlanticpower.com, www.atlanticpower.com; , Mark Comora, CEO, (914) 421-4937, MComora@fortistar.com, www.fortistar.com; CMS Energy, www.cmsenergy.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Fortistar,  Atlantic Power,  Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  CMS Energy,  

Southern Environmental Law Center
Date: 2019-08-14
A new report by Spatial Informatics Group, LLC (SIG), commissioned by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) and the National Wildlife Federation, takes a closer look at the carbon profile of wood pellets produced at Drax's three U.S. wood pellet mills.

The report found that the accumulated emissions of burning wood pellets from these U.S. mills to produce electricity in the UK increases carbon pollution in the atmosphere for more than 40 years -- well beyond the time-frame identified by the IPCC as critical for carbon reduction.

Download the report details HERE. (Source: Southern Environmental Law Center, 12 Aug., 2019) Contact: Southern Environmental Law Center, www.southernenvironment.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  Carbon Emissions,  Southern Environmental Law Center,  

Woody Biomass,Wood Pellet
Date: 2019-08-07
According to a recent report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, the European Union (EU) market for wood pellets will likely grow this year but future expansions could be limited by sustainability requirements introduced by the 28 individual EU member states.

The report notes nearly half of the EU's renewable energy is presently generated from the combustion of solid biomass -- wood chips and pellets -- not including municipal solid waste. The EU consumed an estimated 27.35 million metric tons of wood pellets in 2018, with consumption projected to rise to 30 million metric tons this year. According to the report, the EU's 656 wood pellet plants are expected to produce 18.1 million metric tons of wood pellets this year and imports are expected to rise from 10.355 million metric tons in 2018 to 12.2 million metric tons in 2019.

Report details are HERE. (Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, July, 2019) Contact: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, gain.fas.usda.gov

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

Bord na Mona
Date: 2019-07-24
In Dublin, the regulatory development and planning board -- Bord Pleanala -- reports it has denied permission for state-owned energy company Bord Na Mona's planned conversion of a peat-burning power plant at Shannonbridge, Co Offaly, to co-fire with biomass from 2021 until the end of 2027 when its existing peat permit expires. The plant would then be fully biomass fired with 37,000 tpy of woody biomass imported from Australia.

The regulatory board cited the "potential negative impacts on the environment and the inadequacy of the indigenous biomass supply and high dependence on imported biomass that would be contrary to both EU and national climate and energy policy" for its refusal. The regulatory board also noted previous schemes to establish a domestic source of energy crops such as willow and miscanthus have failed.

The Irish government's national climate and energy policy calls for a complete phase out of coal and peat fired electricity generation by 2030. (Source: An Bord Pleanala, Green New.ie, 23 July, 2019)Contact: An Bord Pleanala, www.pleanala.ie; Bord na Mona Plc, Mike Quinn, CEO, Patrick Madigan, Bioenergy Division, +353 45 439000, www.bordnamona.ie

More Low-Carbon Energy News Bord na Mona,  Peat,  Woody Biomass,  Biomass Pellet,  

Babcock & Wilcox, Margam Green Energy
Date: 2019-07-15
Barberton, Ohio-headquartered Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. is reporting its subsidiary, Babcock & Wilcox Volund A/S (Volund), has turned over a biomass-to-energy plant in Margam, Wales, to Port Talbot-based Margam Green Energy Ltd. Volund will operate the plant for its customer under a 15-year operations and maintenance contract.

The plant is designed to burn waste wood to generate approximately 40 megawatts of electricity and features Volund's patented DynaGrate® technology. (Source: B&W, PR, BusinessWire, 15 July, 2019) Contact: B&W, Kenneth Young, CEO, (330) 753-4511, Twitter @BabcockWilcox, www.babcock.com, Margam Green Energy Ltd., Paul Taylor, +44 01639 884256, www.margamgreenenergy.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Babcock & Wilcox ,  Voland,  Woody Biomass,  

Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2019-07-15
Richmond, British Columbia-headquartered woody biomass pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc is reporting a new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contracts with Mitsubishi Corporation, a global integrated business enterprise in Japan and with GS Global Corporation, a biomass power producer in that country.

Under the terms of the Mitsubishi contract, Pinnacle will supply 110,000 to 120,000 metric tpy of industrial wood pellets beginning in 2021. For the Sout hKorean contract, Pinnacle will supply 100,000 metric tpy of industrial wood pellets to GS beginning in 2022.

Pinnacle Renewable Energy is a rapidly growing industrial wood pellet manufacturer. The company produces sustainable fuel for renewable electricity generation in the form of industrial wood pellets, according to the company. (Source: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, PR, Lesprom Network, 15 July, 2019) Contact: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Pinnacle Pellet, Robert McCurdy, CEO, (604) 270-9613, www.pinnaclepellet.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Pinnacle Renewable Energy,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Date: 2019-07-08
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an research analysis across 180 countries found that global wood products -- all the paper, lumber, furniture and more -- offset less than 1 pct of of annual global carbon emissions -- 335 million tons of CO2 in 2015, 71 million tons of which were unaccounted for under current UN standards.

Current U.N. guidelines only allow countries to count the carbon stored in wood products created from domestic timber harvests, not the timber grown locally and shipped internationally, nor products produced from imported lumber. These regulations create a gap between the actual amount of carbon stored in the world's wood products and what is officially counted.

The researchers asked the question, can we continue to consume wood products and have climate change benefits associated with that consumption?" To address that question, the researchers developed a consistent, international analysis of the carbon storage potential of these products, which countries must now account for under the global Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

They used data on lumber harvests and wood product production from 1961 to 2015, the most recent year available, from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. The researchers modeled future carbon sequestration in wood products using five broad models of possible economic and population growth, the two factors that most affect demand for these products. In 2015, that gap amounted to 71 million tons of CO2, equivalent to the emissions from 15 million cars. If those guidelines remain unchanged, by 2065 another 50 million tons of CO2 may go unaccounted for due to this gap. But this additional, uncounted carbon does not significantly increase the proportion of global emissions offset by wood products, according to the study.

Craig Johnston, a professor of forest economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Volker Radeloff, a UW-Madison professor of forest and wildlife ecology, published their findings July 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. (Source: WU-Madison, PR, July, 2019) Contact: WU-Madison, Craig Johnston, (608) 890-3609, craig.johnston@wisc.edu, www.wisc.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News CO2,  Carbon Emissions,  Woody Biomass,  Carbon Storage,  

Quantafuel,Avinor
Date: 2019-06-28
In Oslo, Norway's state-owned airport operator Avinor reports it will purchase more than €827,000 of Norwegian produced woody biomass-based aviation biofuel produced by Quantafuel.

Quantafuel's technology produces liquid fuel from biomass, which is comprised of solid wood in the form of chips, sawdust and other qualities. Quantafuel's biomass-to-liquid pilot plant will be located in eastern Norway, according to Avinor. Success of the pilot project will enable Quantafuel to consider a full-scale plant, with preliminary capacity targets of at least 7-9 million lpy of fuel. (Source: Quantafuel, Biofuel Int'l., 27 June, 2019) Contact: Quantafuel, Kjetil Bohn, CEO, contact@quantafuel.com, www.quantafuel.com; Avinor, Dag Falk-Petersen, CEO, www.avinor.no/en

More Low-Carbon Energy News Aviation Biofuel,  Avinor,  

Wood Biomass
Date: 2019-06-28
Sitting in Halifax, the Nova Scotia government reports it will soon issue tender calls for the conversation of dozens of provincial government buildings to woody biomass heat.

With six tenders expected to go out shortly. the province has a list of 100 buildings it is considering converting to locally sourced wwody biomass heat, according to a report in the Chronicle Herald. The province is planning a large scale conversion of its rural buildings – from schools to hospitals - to heat them with wood. (Source: Gov. of Nova Scotia Lands and Forests, hronicle Herald, Canadian Biomass, 26 June, 2019) Contact: Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forestry, Iain Rankin, Minister, (902) 424-5935, https://novascotia.ca/natr

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biomass,  Woody Biomass,  

VTT
Date: 2019-06-28
The Helsinki, Finland-headquartered VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland reports receipt of €2.6 million funding from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU)to improve wood-to-textile value chains to enable increased production of man-made cellulose fibres.

VTT's Green Chemicals and Technologies for the Wood-to-textile Value Chain (CRETE) project, a partnership between the EU and the Bio-based Industries Consortium, will tackle the bottlenecks of creating wood-to-textile value chains by developing innovative technologies for wood pulp modification, cellulose dissolution and fibre-quality generation. The issues to be solved in the project play a significant role in developing sustainable and green technologies for the European industry.

The project is led and coordinated by VTT, alongside partners University of Helsinki, Universitat fur Bodenkultur Wien, Universidade de Aveiro, Metsa Fibre Oyj, Celbi SA, Material Connexion Italia SRL and Vertech Group. (Source: VTT, Canadian Biomass, 26 June, 2019) Contact: VTT Technical Research Centre, Nils-Olof Nylund, +358 400 703 715, nils.olof.nylund@vtt.fi, www.vttresearch.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News VTT,  Cellulosic,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pulp,  

Biomass
Date: 2019-06-26
"In a bit of an Orwellian logic, the (Trump) EPA's recently finalized ACE (Affordable Clean Energy) rules ... ignore the basis for why using biomass for power and heat is the principal pathway for decarbonization in most other developed countries. By only counting the CO2 emission at the source and ignoring the continuous adsorption of CO2 by sustainably managed forests, the EPA has excluded a proper consideration of the dynamics that keep the net CO2 added into the atmosphere neutral or even negative.

"In Europe, wood pellets and wood chips are recognized as low carbon fuels because a full life-cycle analysis shows that under well-crafted (and necessary) sustainability criteria, the combustion of those fuels is carbon neutral. The supply chain carbon footprint accounting, given that fossil fuel are used in transportation and in the electricity used to upgrade the biomass into pellets, typically yields an 85 percent or more reduction in net CO2 added to the atmosphere. Because of the carbon benefits, biomass derived fuel makes up about 60 percent of the total renewable energy in the EU28." -- William Strauss, Pres, FutureMetrics, June 24, 2019

Bethel, Maine-based FutureMetrics released the above statement criticizing the Trump Administration EPA's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Program for its treatment of biomass and calling the program's discussion of how to measure CO2 emissions "misguided."

The ACE program, which replaces Obama's Clean Power Plan, specifies that biomass co-firing is not compliant with the ACE program. Contact: FutureMetrics LLC, William Strauss, 207-824-6702, 207-357-8708 Cell, WilliamStrauss@FutureMetrics.com, www.futuremetrics.info

More Low-Carbon Energy News EPA,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  CO2 Emissions,