United Airlines, Honeywell,Alder Energy
Date: 2021-09-10
United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Honeywell International Inc. are reporting a multi-million dollar investment in Alder Energy LLC, a clean-technology company to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at scale.

Alder's technology converts woody biomass, forest and agricultural waste to produce SAF while using the same refineries, pipelines and engines as traditional fuel. United, which began using biofuels in 2009, has also pledged to buy 1.5 billion gallons of SAF over the next 20 years.

The company in 2015 made a similar commitment with alternative fuels developer Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc., agreeing to buy up to 900 million gallons of low-cost sustainable biofuels from waste, particularly woody biomass from the paper and pulp industry, the food industry and others.

The companies hope to commercialize the technology by 2025. (Source: United Airlines, PR, 8 Sept., 2021) Contact: United Airlines, Scott Kirby, CEO, www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/contact/headquarters.html; Alder Energy/Investment, Bryan Sherbacow, CEO, info@alderinvestment.com, www.alderinvestment.com; Honeywell UOP, www.uop.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Alder Energy,  SAF,  Aviation Biofuel,  Honeywell,  United Airlines,  

Arbor Renewable Gas, Topsoe
Date: 2021-09-08
In the Lone Star State, Houston-based industrial-scale renewable gasoline and green hydrogen projects developer Arbor Renewable Gas, LLC reports it will use Topsoe's TIGAS™ technology for producing renewable gasoline (RG) at a new facility in the Gulf Coast region. The facility is expected to be operational by 2024 to produce 1,000 bdp of RG with a significantly negative carbon intensity score under California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Topsoe will supply the methanol synthesis technologies and the TIADS™ backend gasoline synthesis unit (TIGAS). The methanol synthesis loop is based on the modular MeOH-To-Go™ design. Arbor Gas aims to build out a fleet of cost-effective, safe, and reliable woody biomass to renewable gasoline and renewable hydrogen plants around the world. With an initial focus on the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast, Arbor Gas brings a unique blend of management, financing, technology and project execution skills to successfully advance its vision of a clean, low carbon transportation fleet utilizing existing infrastructure and vehicles. (Source: Topsoe Website PR, 2 Sept., 2021) Contact: Arbor Renewable Gas, Timothy Vail, CEO , 346.708.7819, info@arborgas.com, www.arborgas.com; Haldor Topsoe, Henrik Rasmussen, Americas Managing Dir., +45 27 77 99 68, www.topsoe.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Arbor Renewable Gas,  Topsoe,  Renewable gas,  

Arbor Renewable Gas
Date: 2021-08-27
In the Lone Star State, Houston-based industrial-scale renewable gasoline and green hydrogen projects developer Arbor Renewable Gas is reporting investment commitments from EnCap Investments and from Mercuria Energy, a global energy and commodity trading organisation.

Arbor designs, builds, owns and operates facilities that efficiently convert woody biomass into low carbon intensity renewable gasoline and green hydrogen. Arbor Gas also reports SunGas Renewables, a subsidiary of GTI International, has entered into an exclusive joint development agreement with Arbor Gas to provide its gasification systems to Arbor Gas projects. Haldor Topsoe licensed its proprietary process and technology for methanol and gasoline synthesis. (Source: Arbor Renewable Gas, Website PR, Aug., 2021) Contact: Arbor Renewable Gas, Timothy Vail, CEO , 346.708.7819, info@arborgas.com, www.arborgas.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Arbor Renewable Gas,  

Renova,Kanda Biomass
Date: 2021-07-28
Further to our 15 February coverage, Japanese renewable power developer Renova reports it will increase its holdings in the Kanda biomass power plant in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan, with the purchase a 10 pc stake from Japanese water and energy firm Veolia for an undisclosed sum. The transaction will bring Renova's stake to 53.07 pct when completed on 28 July as scheduled.

As previously reported, the Kanda biomass power plant is designed to burn around 360,000 tpy of biomass fuels, including wood pellets from North America, palm kernel shell, wood chips, forestry waste and other woody biomass material.

Veolia Japan will continue to operate and maintain the project through its Veolia Jenets subsidiary. Wood product producer Sumitomo Forestry holds a 41.5pc stake, renewable power supplier Kyushu Mirai Energy has 5pc and local construction firm Mihara Grope owns 0.43pc.

Kanda Biomass Energy KK is a "special purpose vehicle" held by Veolia Japan KK, part of French group Veolia Environnement SA. (Source: Renova, PR, 26 July, 2021) www.renovainc.com; Veolia, www.veolia.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Renova,  Kanda Biomass,  Veorlia Energy,  Veolia,  

European Green Deal
Date: 2021-07-16
On Wednesday the 14th, the European Commission (EC) announced the adoption of a package of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 pct by 2030 (Fit for 55), compared to 1990 levels. Achieving these emission reductions in the next decade is crucial to Europe becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and making the European Green Deal a reality. With today's proposals, the Commission is presenting the legislative tools to deliver on the targets agreed in the European Climate Law and fundamentally transform our economy and society for a fair, green and prosperous future. The following proposals will enable the necessary acceleration of greenhouse gas emission reductions in the next decade:

The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) puts a price on carbon and lowers the cap on emissions from certain economic sectors every year. It has successfully brought down emissions from power generation and energy-intensive industries by 42.8 pct in the past 16 years. The EC is proposing to lower the overall emission cap even further and increase its annual rate of reduction and to phase out free emission allowances for aviation and align with the global Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) and to include shipping emissions for the first time in the EU ETS.

To complement the substantial spending on climate in the EU budget, Member States should spend the entirety of their emissions trading revenues on climate and energy-related projects. A dedicated part of the revenues from the new system for road transport and buildings should address the possible social impact on vulnerable households, micro-enterprises and transport users.

The Effort Sharing Regulation assigns strengthened emissions reduction targets to each Member State for buildings, road and domestic maritime transport, agriculture, waste and small industries. Recognizing the different starting points and capacities of each Member State, these targets are based on their GDP per capita, with adjustments made to take cost efficiency into account.

Member States also share responsibility for removing carbon from the atmosphere, so the Regulation on Land Use, Forestry and Agriculture sets an overall EU target for carbon removals by natural sinks, equivalent to 310 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030. National targets will require Member States to care for and expand their carbon sinks to meet this target. By 2035, the EU should aim to reach climate neutrality in the land use, forestry and agriculture sectors, including also agricultural non-CO2 emissions, such as those from fertilizer use and livestock. The EU Forest Strategy aims to improve the quality, quantity and resilience of EU forests. It supports foresters and the forest-based bioeconomy while keeping harvesting and biomass use sustainable, preserving biodiversity, and setting out a plan to plant three billion trees across Europe by 2030.

Energy production and use accounts for 75 pct of EU emissions, so accelerating the transition to a greener energy system is crucial. The Renewable Energy Directive will set an increased target to produce 40 pct of our energy from renewable sources by 2030. All Member States will contribute to this goal, and specific targets are proposed for renewable energy use in transport, heating and cooling, buildings and industry. To meet both our climate and environmental goals, sustainability criteria for the use of bioenergy are strengthened and Member States must design any support schemes for bioenergy in a way that respects the cascading principle of uses for woody biomass.

To reduce overall energy use, cut emissions and tackle energy poverty, the Energy Efficiency Directive will set a more ambitious binding annual target for reducing energy use at EU level. It will guide how national contributions are established and almost double the annual energy saving obligation for Member States. The public sector will be required to renovate 3 pct of its buildings each year to drive the renovation wave, create jobs and bring down energy use and costs to the taxpayer.

A combination of measures is required to tackle rising emissions in road transport to complement emissions trading. Stronger CO2 emissions standards for cars and vans will accelerate the transition to zero-emission mobility by requiring average emissions of new cars to come down by 55 pct from 2030 and 100 pct from 2035 compared to 2021 levels. As a result, all new cars registered as of 2035 will be zero-emission. To ensure that drivers are able to charge or fuel their vehicles at a reliable network across Europe, the revised Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation will require Member States to expand charging capacity in line with zero-emission car sales, and to install charging and fuelling points at regular intervals on major highways: every 60 kilometres for electric charging and every 150 kilometres for hydrogen refuelling.

Aviation and maritime fuels cause significant pollution and also require dedicated action to complement emissions trading. The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation requires that aircraft and ships have access to clean electricity supply in major ports and airports. The ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative will oblige fuel suppliers to blend increasing levels of sustainable aviation fuels in jet fuel taken on-board at EU airports, including synthetic low carbon fuels, known as e-fuels. Similarly, the FuelEU Maritime Initiative will stimulate the uptake of sustainable maritime fuels and zero-emission technologies by setting a maximum limit on the greenhouse gas content of energy used by ships calling at European ports.

The tax system for energy products must safeguard and improve the Single Market and support the green transition by setting the right incentives. A revision of the Energy Taxation Directive proposes to align the taxation of energy products with EU energy and climate policies, promoting clean technologies and removing outdated exemptions and reduced rates that currently encourage the use of fossil fuels. The new rules aim at reducing the harmful effects of energy tax competition, helping secure revenues for Member States from green taxes, which are less detrimental to growth than taxes on labour.

Finally, a new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Tax) will put a carbon price on imports of a targeted selection of products to ensure that ambitious climate action in Europe does not lead to 'carbon leakage.' This will ensure that European emission reductions contribute to a global emissions decline, instead of pushing carbon-intensive production outside Europe. It also aims to encourage industry outside the EU and our international partners to take steps in the same direction.

European Green Deal, www.ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en. (Source: EC, PR, 14 July, 2021)

More Low-Carbon Energy News European Green Deal,  

European Green Deal
Date: 2021-07-16
On Wednesday the 14th, the European Commission (ED) adopted a package of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit for reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 pct by 2030 (Fit for 55), compared to 1990 levels. Achieving these emission reductions in the next decade is crucial to Europe becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and making the European Green Deal a reality. With today's proposals, the Commission is presenting the legislative tools to deliver on the targets agreed in the European Climate Law.

The EU Forest Strategy supports the forest-based bioeconomy while keeping harvesting and biomass use sustainable, preserving biodiversity, and setting out a plan to plant three billion trees across Europe by 2030. To meet both our climate and environmental goals, sustainability criteria for the use of bioenergy are strengthened and EU Member States must design any support schemes for bioenergy in a way that respects the cascading principle of uses for woody biomass.

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative will oblige fuel suppliers to blend increasing levels of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in jet fuel taken on-board at EU airports, including synthetic low carbon fuels. Similarly, the FuelEU Maritime Initiative will stimulate the uptake of sustainable maritime fuels and zero-emission technologies by setting a maximum limit on the greenhouse gas content of energy used by ships calling at European ports.

European Green Deal, www.ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en. (Source: EC, PR, 14 July, 2021)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Fit for 55,  Bioeconomy,  European Green Deal,  SAF,  Biofuel,  Biomass,  GHG,  

FutureMetrics
Date: 2021-07-14
Bethel, Maine-based wood pellet sector consultancy FutureMetrics LLC is offering a new white paper that discusses the market challenges associated with "black" wood pellets and illustrates how new innovations are enabling fuel pellets to gain market share.

The white paper is available om the company website . (Source: FutureMetrics, Website, July, 2021) Contact: FutureMetrics, William Strauss, Pres., 207-824-6702 . Fax: 207-824-4816. Info@FutureMetrics.com, www.futuremetrics.com

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

Ember Infrastructure,ReGenerate Energy Holdings
Date: 2021-07-02
ReGenerate Energy Holdings, LLC, a recent Ember Infrastructure and ReEnergy Biomass Operations, is reporting completion of its acquisition of Albany Green Energy, a biomass heat-and-power facility located in Albany, Georgia, from a subsidiary of Exelon Generation Company LLC.

The Albany Green Energy facility uses regionally sourced woody biomass from mill residue, forestry waste, recycling and agricultural waste to generate 50 MW of electricity to Georgia Power, process steam to the nearby Procter & Gamble paper products facility, and process steam that is used to generate electricity for the nearby U.S. Marine Corps Logistics Base.

With the acquisition, ReGenerate owns 137 MWs of operating biomass power generation across three facilities, including ReEnergy Stratton and ReEnergy Livermore Falls, in Maine. (Source: ReGenerate Energy Holdings , Ember Infrastructure, PR, 1 July, 2021) Contact: Ember Infrtructure, www.ember-infra.com; ReEnergy Biomass Operations, ReEnergy Holdings, www.reenergyholdings.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Ember Infrastructure news,  Woody Biomass news,  ReGenerate Energy Holdings news,  Renewable Energy Holdings news,  

Vertoro
Date: 2021-07-02
Geleen, Netherland-based green technology company Vertoro is reporting receipt of €2 million in European Union "ReactEU" grant funding to develop a 250,000 metric tpy lignin crude biorefinery at Rotterdam.

The biorefinery will convert woody biomass -- industrial wood residues, sawdust and wastes -- into roughly 50,000 metric tpy of cellulosic ethanol and roughly 125,000 metric tpy of lignin-based "Goldilocks crude oil" which could be used as biofuel bunkers.

Vertoro is a spin off company from a 2017 public-private partnership between Brightlands Chemelot Campus, DSM, Chemelot InSciTe, University of Maastricht and Eindhoven University of Technology. (Source: Vertoro, Website PR, 30 June, 2021) Contact: Vertoro, Michael Boot, CEO, michael@vertoro.com, www.vertoro.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Vertoro,  Cellulosic Ethanol,  

Velocys,Koch Project Solutions
Date: 2021-06-30
UK-headquartered landfill gas-to-liquid fuels and chemicals producer Velocys Plc reports it has awarded a turnkey engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPC) contract to Koch Project Solutions for its 33 million gpy Bayou Fuels biorefinery project in Natchez, Mississippi.

The project is expected to produce approximately 33 million gpy of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with negative carbon intensity and naphtha made from woody biomass from locally sourced pine. (Source: Velocys, PR, 28 June, 2021) Contact: Koch Project Solutions, www.kochprojectsolutions.com; Velocys Plc, +44 1235 841 700, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  SAF,  Koch Project Solutions,  

Enviva Biomass
Date: 2021-06-25
Bethesda, Maryland-based wood biomass pellet manufacturer Enviva reports it has been selected as a finalist for the 2021 ESG Reporting Awards under the "Energy and Utilities" category. The ESG Reporting Awards program is devoted to assessing and evaluating the best public companies in the areas of sustainability and climate-related reporting.

Over the last year, Enviva developed and deployed a Track and Trace standard enabling the company to engage a third-party auditor to verify and ensure the company has and will continue to follow T&T procedures and reporting accurately. The company is aiming for net zero in its operations by 2030. (Source: Enviva, PR, 23 June, 2021) Contact: Enviv, Dr. Jennifer Jenkins, VP, Chief Sustainability Officer, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com; ESG Investing Awards, +44 (0)1483 573 150, info@esginvesting.co.uk, www.esginvesting.co.uk/esgreporting-awards-2021

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

Velocys
Date: 2021-06-23
UK-headquartered landfill gas-to-liquid fuels and chemicals producer Velocys Plc is reporting a blend of convention aviation fuel and 25 pct sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by its proprietary technology using woody biomass residue feedstock has been used in a commercial flight by Japan Airlines -- the first commercial flight in the world to use SAF derived from gasified wood-chips synthesized into aviation fuel.

The fuel was produced in a Velocys FT reactor from the hydrogen and carbon gases generated by the gasification of the wood-chips at a demonstration plant in Nagoya, Japan in 2020. The facility produced 2,366 liters of neat aviation fuel blendstock that met ASTM D7566 Annex1 standard and can be blended into conventional jet fuel up to 50 pct.

SAF synthesized with the Velocys FT technology from gasified forestry residue has a 70 pct lower carbon intensity than conventional fossil jet fuel. FT-SAF offers significant additional air quality improvements thanks to 90 pct lower particulate emissions, 99 pct lower sulphur emissions and lower nitrogen oxide emissions than conventional fossil fuels, according to Velocys. (Source: Velocys, PR, 21 June, 2021) Contact: Velocys Plc, +44 1235 841 700, (713) 275-5840 -- Houston Office, info@velocys.com, www.velocys.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Velocys,  SAF,  

San Group
Date: 2021-06-23
Port Alberni, British Columbia based San Group reports it will invest $100 million into its forestry operations -- $15 million of which will be used to construct a biomass facility to produce wood pellets from woody biomass wastes.

The investment also includes $50-$60 million for an agreement to ship lumber via container ships from Port Albertni's deep sea port, $15 million to upgrade its Coulson sawmill and $15 million for increased automation and CNC technology. (Source: San Group, PR, , Alberni Valley News, 21 June, 2021) Contact: San Group, Kamal Sanghera, CEO, 604-881-4848, info@sangroupinc.com, www.sangroupinc.com

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

Greenvolt, Equitix
Date: 2021-06-11
In the UK, London-based investment management firm Equitix Group reports it is partnering with Portugal-based Greenvolt Energias Renovaveis to acquire Tilbury Green Power Holdings' 46.3 MW woody biomass fired power plant in the Port of Tilbury, Essex, at a cost of £246.5 million ($348.9 million).

With the deal, Greenvolt will own 51 pct with the balance being held by Equitix. (Source: Equitix, PR, Website, June, 2021) Contact: Equitix Group, +44 (0) 20 7250 7333, contact@equitix.co.uk, www.equitix.co.uk

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  

Greenleaf Power
Date: 2021-06-09
In the Golden State, Sacramento-based Greenleaf Power LLC reports its wholly-owned subsidiary Greenleaf Biomass Holdings has secured $36.7 million in biomass project funding from East West Bank.

The funds will be used to recapitalise Greenleaf's 30 MW Honey lake Power project in Lassen County, California, and the 22 MW St-Felicien Cogeneration project in Quebec, Canada. Both are power generation facilities that convert woody biomass waste into electricity that is sold under long-term PPAs to San Diego Gas & Electric and Hydro-Quebec, respectively. Greenleaf also notes it is developing battery storage at sites adjacent to its biomass power facilities. (Source: Greenleaf Power, PR, 8 June., 2021) Contact: Greenleaf Power LLC, 916-596-2500, info@greenleaf-power,com, www.greenleaf-power.com

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

Active Energy Group
Date: 2021-06-04
London, UK-based Active Energy Group reports (AEG) reports it has begun production of its CoalSwitch biomass pellets at its 5- tph plant in Ashland, Maine .

CoalSwitch pellets, which burn at temperature roughly equal to coal, are produced from locally-sourced woody biomass-forestry wastes including bark and treetops/branches and other.

The Ashland facility is aiming to increase production to 35,000 tpy. (Source: Active Energy Group, PR, June, 2021) Contact: Active Energy Group, Michael Rowan, CEO , www.aegplc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Active Energy Group news,  CoalSwitch news,  Biomass Pellet news,  

EQTEC
Date: 2021-05-24
London-based EQTEC is reporting the acquisition and planned €1.75 million recommissioning of a 1 MW biomass waste-to-energy plant in Castiglione d'Orcia in Tuscany, Italy.

The recommissioned 2015-vintage plant will incorporate EQTEC's proprietary advanced gasification technology to utilize locally sourced straw and forestry woody biomass waste to generate green electricity and heat . The plant is slated to be fully recommissioned and operational by Q2, 2022 (Source: EQTEC, PR, Website May, 2021) Contact: EQTEC, David Palumbo, CEO , +44 203 883 7009, www.eqtec.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News EQTC,  Woody Biomass,  

Mitsubishi Power
Date: 2021-05-14
Yokaham-headquartered Mitsubishi Power Ltd., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is reporting receipt of a turnkey order from Osaka-based special purpose company Hyuga Biomass Power for a 50 MW woody biomass-fired power generation facility in Japan.

The plant is expected to begin commercial operation in November 2024.

Hyuga Biomass Power is a joint venture between Osaka Gas, ITOCHU Corporation, Tokyo Century Corporation, and Tokyo Energy & Systems. (Source: Mitsubishi Power Ltd., PR, 12 May, 20210 Contact: Mitsubishi Power Ltd., www.power.mhi.com

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

DRAX
Date: 2021-05-10
In the UK, Yorkshire-based woody biomass power producer DRAX Group reports construction is expected to get underway on the first of three new Arkansas "satellite" woody biomass pellet plants before the month end and the other two plants shortly thereafter.

Together, the new facilities will produce roughly 120,000 tpy of sustainable biomass pellets from sawmill and forestry dry waste.

DRAx will invest $40 million in the project. The company is aiming to be carbon negative by 2030. (Source: DRAX, PR, May, 2021) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0) 1757 618381, www.drax.com

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

Clean Energy Technologies, Ashfield Ag Resources
Date: 2021-05-05
Costa Mesa, California-headquartered Clean Energy Technologies Inc. (CETY) is reporting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ashfield Ag Resources to co-develop its initial biomass renewable energy processing facility in Massachusetts using the revolutionary high temperature ablative fast pyrolysis reactor (HTAP Biomass Reactor).

The project will convert forest biomass waste products to renewably generated electricity and BioChar fertilizer. The project is expected to deliver up to 14,600 MWh per year of renewable electricity and 1,500 tpy of BioChar by Q1 2022.

The MOU, which is subject to the execution of definitive agreements providing the project with rights to feedstock, site control, approved grid interconnection and power purchase agreement revenues. (Source: Clean Energy Technologies Inc., Website PR, May, 2021) Contact: Clean Energy Technologies Inc., Kam Mahdi, CEO, (949) 273-4990, Fax -- (949) 273-4990,www.cetyinc.com; Ashfield Ag Resources, www.ashfield.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Clean Energy Technologies Inc.,  Woody Biomass,  

ENVIVA, Biomass
Date: 2021-04-28
Bethesda, Maryland-based sustainable wood bioenergy specialist and woody biomass pellet maker ENVIVA reports the release of its 2021 Implementation Plans, a detailed proposal of goals and initiatives designed to continue to deliver on the company's commitment to responsible and sustainable wood sourcing.

The 2021 Implementation Plans define the company's measurable goals relative to: sustainable forestry standards; verification and transparency; and conservation leadership across the U.S. Southeast where the company owns and operates its wood pellet production plants.

Download ENVIVA's Responsible Sourcing Policy HERE; (Source: ENVIV, PR, 27 Apr., 2021) Contact: ENVIVA Partners, LP, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com

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

OMNI Conversion Technologies
Date: 2021-04-23
Ottawa, Ontario-based OMNI Conversion Technologies Inc. is reporting the sale of its first unsorted non-recyclable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)-to-hydrogen production unit to produce negative carbon hydrogen in California by the end of 2023.

OMNI's patented process converts any solid energetic material into OmniSyngas™ to produce clean green hydrogen, biofuels, synthetic natural gas, chemicals or electricity. The OMNI process can produce roughly 5000 tpy of negative carbon hydrogen from 200 tpd of unsorted non-recyclable garbage, plastics woody biomass and other waste with no air emissions. Energy in the garbage replaces electricity otherwise required to make green hydrogen. The circular hydrogen produced could operate some 550 city buses running on hydrogen at a cost less than the current cost of using gasoline or diesel, according to the release. (Source: OMNI Conversion Technologies Inc., Website, 22 Apr., 2021) Contact: OMNI Conversion Technologies, Rod Bryden, CEO, Randy Bennett, 613-287-3127, www.onmict.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Hydrogen,  Alternative Fuel,  Syngas,  

DRAX, Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2021-04-19
Following up on our 17 March covereage, UK-based energy company DRAX is reporting closing of its previously reported purchase of B.C.-based wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc.

With the purchase, DRAX becomes the world's leading sustainable bioenergy generation and supply company, operating across North America, the UK, Europe and Asia. The purchase of Pinnacle's 11 sites will increase DRAX' operations to 17 pellet plants and development projects and boosts its production capacity to 4.9 million from 2.9 million. DRAX will also gain a terminal in Prince Rupert.

Pinnacle will operate as a subsidiary of DRAX and remain headquartered in British Columbia. (Source: DRAX, PR, Yahoo, 17 Apr., 2021)) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0) 1757 618381, www.drax.com; Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Duncan Davies, CEO, 604.270.9613, 604.270.9914--fax, www.pinnaclepellet.com

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

RENOVA
Date: 2021-04-09
In Japan, Omaezakikou Biomass Energy GK, manager of the woody biomass power specialist RENOVA-led 74.95 MW Omaezakikou Biomass power generation project in Shizuoka Prefecture, reports plant construction is underway for an expected startup in July, 2023.

Aside from Omaezakikou Biomass, RENOVA's biomass power portfolio includes the fully operational Akita Biomass power generation facility and the Kanda and Tokushima Tsuda Biomass power generation facilities, which are under construction. (Source: RENOVA, REM, 6 Apr, 2021) Contact: Omaezakikou Biomass Energy, www.renovainc.com/en/business/power_plant/omaezaki_kou_biomass; RENOVA, www.renova.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  RENOVA,  

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Date: 2021-04-05
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has revoked the approval for a long controversial proposed 35-MW woody biomass-fired power plant in Springfield due to the developer's -- Palmer Renewable Energy -- failure to start construction of the plant within two years of the approval being issued.

The $150 million power plant project was first planned a decade ago but has met determined public and environmental community opposition from the start. (Source: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, PR, WAMC News, 2 Apr., 2021) Contact: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-department-of-environmental-protection; Palmer Renewable Energy, c/o Palmer Paving Corp., (413) 283-8354, www.palmerpaving.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection,  Woody Biomass,  Palner Renwable Energy,  

Okinawa Electric Power
Date: 2021-03-31
Japanese power producer Okinawa Electric Power reports it has begun co-burning coal and woody biomass pellets at its Kin coal-fired power plant as part of normal operations. The plant can burn wood pellets made from domestically-supplied construction waste at the 220MW No.1 and No.2 coal-fired units, with the ratio of biomass mixture at around 3 pct.

Okinawa Electric Power also uses woody biomass at its 312MW Gushikawa coal-fired power plant and forecasts using a total 30,000 tpy of wood pellets for both plants and cutting its CO2 emissions by around 40,000 tpy.

The move to woody biomass pellet fuel is in line with the utility's plan cut greenhouse gas emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. (Source: Okinawa Electric Power, Korea Herald, Mar 29, 2021) Contact: Okinawa Electric Power, www.okiden.co.jp/en

More Low-Carbon Energy News Okinawa Electric Power,  Woody Biomass,  Wood Pellet,  Carbon Emission,  

DRAX, Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2021-03-17
Further to our 8 Feb., coverage, UK, Yorkshire-based power station operator Drax Group reports its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary Drax Canadian Holdings' previously announced acquisition of Vancouver, British Columbia-based wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy is moving forward.

The deal, which is subject to shareholder approvals, is expected to add 2.9 million tpy of biomass power production capacity to DRAX group and significantly reduce its average cost of production. (Source: DRAX, PR, Website, 15 Mar., 2021) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0) 1757 618381, www.drax.com; Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Duncan Davies, CEO, 604.270.9613, 604.270.9914--fax, www.pinnaclepellet.com

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

Sustane Technologies, Arbios
Date: 2021-03-10
In British Columbia, the Prince George city council reports it is considering two biomass/biofuel projects from Nova Scotia-based Sustane Technologies and Vancouver-based forest products specialist Canfor.

The first project from Sustane would divert and recycle roughly 90 pct of municipal solid waste from landfill. Sustane would build and operate the plant, which would employ roughly 25 workers.

A second project, proposed by Canfor and Arbios, would use recovered waste and woody biomass to produce biofuel. The Arbios project would be located at the Intercon facility, creating 150 direct jobs and an additional 600 indirect jobs. Overall greenhouse gas emissions in Prince George would reportedly drop 10-pct as a result of the project. An environmental review is currently underway. (Source: City of Prince George, PR, mypgnow, 8 Mar., 2021) Contact: Sustane Technologies, Peter Vinall, CEO, (902) 200-1642, info@sustane.co, www.sustane.co; Arbios Biotech, www.arbiosbiotech.com; Canfor Pulp Products, (604) 661-5241, info@canfor.com, www.canfor.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Sustane Technologies,  Canfor,  Woody Biomass,  Biofuel ,  

DRAX
Date: 2021-03-03
In the UK, Yorkshire-based woody biomass power producer DRAX Group reports it plans to used bioenergy with carbon capture and ctorage (BECCS) to remove millions of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere and create a negative carbon footprint for the company.

The planned project is subject to its application for a Development Consent Order (DCO) -- a process which takes around two years to complete. If approved construction on the first of two 8 million tpy BECCS units could get underway in 2024.

As we reopoert in Dec. 2020, an Imperial College London report for DRAX Electric Insights found the UK's electricity grid has decarbonised faster than other countries in the last decade and that renewable power has grown six-fold in the last 10 years, helping the UK cut its carbon intensity by 58 pct -- double the reduction seen in other major economies over the 2010-2120 period. The report also noted coal-fired power generation dropped from 30 pct to just 2 pct with renewables rising simultaneously from 8 pct to supplying 42 pct of the UK's electricity over the last decade.

The shift to renewables means individual UK households have cut reduced their CO2 emissions by .75 tpy, according to the report. (Source: DRAX, PR, Yorkshire Post, Mar., 2021) Contact: DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0) 1757 618381, www.drax.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News DRAX,  Bioenergy,  CCS,  BECCS,  

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change,
Date: 2021-03-03
In Ottawa, Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, is reporting the Ministry will invest $530,000 to support a project that converts wood, woody biomass and municpal waste into energy in the Rocky Mountains Town of Banff (pop. 8,000), Alberta.

The town's planned $1.3-million biomass district heating system will replace natural gas with wood waste--woody biomass to heat four municipal buildings. The project will see a roughly 6,000 tonnes reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over the project's lifetime. The federal funding comes from the Government of Canada's Low Carbon Economy Challenge, which invests in projects that reduce carbon pollution, save money, and create good jobs. (Source: Canada Minister of Environment and Climate Change, CNW, Mar., 2021) Contact: Town of Banff, 403.762.1200, www.banff.ca; Canada Minister of Environment and Climate Change, www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change.html

More Low-Carbon Energy News Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change,  Woody Biomass,  

Enviva Biomass, Finite Carbon
Date: 2021-02-17
Bethesda, Maryland-headquartered ENVIVA, a leading global renewable energy company specializing in sustainable wood bioenergy, has announced its goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its operations by 2030.

This commitment to climate action reinforces ENVIVA's core purpose to displace coal, grow more trees, and fight climate change. It sets forth an ambitious plan for eliminating GHG emissions from its operations in keeping with international climate goals, including the Paris Agreement's goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degree C. To that end, ENVIVA will:

Reduce, eliminate or offset all of its direct emissions. Enviva will immediately work to minimize the emissions from fossil fuels used directly in its operations -- its Scope 1 emissions.

Source 100 pct renewable energy by 2030with an interim target of at least 50 pct by 2025.

Drive innovative improvements in its supply chain and proactively engage with partners and other key stakeholders to adopt clean-energy solutions.

Transparently report progress. Enviva will track and publish its progress in reducing its emissions annually and intends to disclose climate-relevant data and risks through CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) by the end of 2022.

ENVIVA's sustainably sourced wood is used to manufacture wood pellets as a drop-in alternative to fossil fuels. ENVIVA exports its sustainable wood pellets primarily to the U.K., Europe, the Caribbean and Japan, enabling its customers to reduce their carbon emissions by more than 85 pct on a lifecycle basis, helping them reach their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets with renewable energy, according to the ENVIVA release. (Source: ENVIVA, PR, 17 Feb., 2021) Contact: ENVIVA Partners, LP, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com; Carbon Disclosure Project, CDP, Lance Pierce, Pres. North America, (212) 378 2086, info.northamerica@cdp.net, www.cdp.net

More Low-Carbon Energy News Carbon Disclosure Project,  ENVIVA,  Enviva,  Net-Zero Emissions,  Wood Pellet,  Woody Biomass,  

DRAX, Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2021-02-08
UK-headquartered DRAX Group is reporting a £226 million agreement for its wholly-owned subsidiary DRAX Canadian Holdings' acquisition of British Columbia-based wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy. The deal, which is subject to DRAX shareholder, regulatory approval and other customary conditions, is expected to close in Q3 this year.

According to the release, DRAX and Pinnacle combined will have 17 wood pellet plants, 3 major fibre baskets, 4 deep water ports, 4.9 Mt capacity from 2022 with 2.9 Mt available for self-supply, 2.6 GW of renewable biomass generation, with potential for BECCS, global growth opportunities for sustainable biomass. (Source: DRAX, Website, Various Media, 8 Feb., 2021) Contact: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Duncan Davies, CEO, 604.270.9613, 604.270.9914--fax, www.pinnaclepellet.com; DRAX, Will Gardiner, CEO, +44 (0) 1757 618381, www.drax.com

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

Enviva Biomass
Date: 2021-01-25

Together renewable fuels will further displace coal and natural gas -- As countries take aggressive action on climate change to decarbonize their respective economies by 2050, the direction is clear -- all carbon-neutral and carbon-negative renewable fuels will need to work together if we want to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. As the global energy demand for alternative fuels increase, 2021 will mark a turning point for the industry as wind, solar, geothermal, woody biomass, hydrogen, and lithium-ion battery energy providers (among others) make a collective and coordinated effort to combat the global climate crisis.

The aftermath of COVID-19 will push economies into a renewable future -- The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed how societies, businesses, and governments view the world. As various industries saw a decline in the demand for products and/or services throughout the pandemic, the energy industry witnessed the opposite. Energy production and distribution remained essential regardless of the pandemic.

Throughout the pandemic we've seen an increased global interest in reducing carbon emissions. Looking ahead, we expect renewable fuels will continue to play a crucial role in power generation for decades to come. For this reason, we don't foresee a job loss, rather a job transfer -- or perhaps a job boom - in renewables in 2021. For those currently working in fossil fuels, this shift will present a great opportunity to transition skills as the energy sector continues to evolve into a clean energy future.

Europe will continue to be the "Poster Child" for renewable energy implementation, but there will be some regulatory uncertainty. -- Delivering Europe's long-term ambition to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050 requires an extensive set of urgent measures to scale up action. At the very least, the world-leading sustainability criteria established by the Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII) will need to be fully implemented by all member states if Europe plans to meet their 2030 and 2050 emission reduction goals. At best, member states will need to further amend the directive if they wish to succeed in cutting carbon emissions by 55 pct in the next decade from 1990 levels.

Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in the EU and will be critical to increased deployment of wind and solar -- The use of bioenergy has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of its end-use as heat, transportation, and electricity. In fact, biomass is the only renewable fuel on the market that is readily available today and can replace fossil fuels for heat generation. In heavy industries such as steel, aluminum and cement, sustainably sourced wood-based biomass offers a carbon-neutral fuel replacement for coal and gas-fired furnaces (and combined heat and power plants). As a dependable and dispatchable renewable fuel, sustainably-sourced biomass represents a prime solution to complement the intermittency of wind and solar (among other renewables) that will reduce carbon emissions by more than 85% on a lifecycle basis.

Biomass to assist the development and deployment of a hydrogen economy -- Looking ahead to more future-oriented solutions, such as the development of the hydrogen economy, biomass is projected to play an important role. The most obvious is to use biomass directly to create hydrogen through gasification and thereby avoid carbon emissions that are associated with natural gas. Even further down the road, when surplus solar and wind could potentially be used to create hydrogen at scale, there will be an exciting opportunity to produce aviation and other fuels with carbon capture of biomass that could result in even fewer net greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, as decarbonization efforts in the steel and cement industry rapidly increase, they too will look to bioenergy solutions for support.

BECCS on the short rise -- Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) is one of the very few options on the table that can remove carbon from the atmosphere. Once matured, BECCS could mark the beginning of a new era for low-carbon fuel applications that will enable us to meet and/or exceed international net zero targets while still enjoying air travel and heavy goods transport, which is difficult and very expensive to decarbonize. We expect 2021 will be the year that we see true progress in climate change mitigation, as a result of new initiatives/policies, new innovations, and new collaborations that are already taking shape.

ENVIVA Holdings, LP is the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, ENVIVA owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water export terminals in the Southeastern United States and exports pellets primarily to power plants in the UK, Europe and Japan that previously were fueled by coal, enabling them to reduce their lifetime carbon footprint by up to 85 pct. We make our pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests. ENVIVA Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: ENVIVA Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and ENVIVA Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. (Source: Enviva Holdings, LP, Jan., 2021) Contact: ENVIVA Holdings, LP., www.envivabiomass.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviv news,  Woody Biomass Wood Pellet news,  CCS news,  Renewable Fuel news,  

ENVIVA
Date: 2021-01-25
The following has been submitted by the world's largest industrial wood pellets producer, ENVIVA Holdings LP:

Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in the EU and will be critical to increased deployment of wind and solar -- The use of bioenergy has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of its end-use as heat, transportation, and electricity. In fact, biomass is the only renewable fuel on the market that is readily available today and can replace fossil fuels for heat generation.

In heavy industries such as steel, aluminum, and cement -- sustainably sourced wood-based biomass offers a carbon-neutral fuel replacement for coal and gas-fired furnaces (and combined heat and power plants). As a dependable and dispatchable renewable fuel, sustainably-sourced biomass represents a prime solution to complement the intermittency of wind and solar (among other renewables) that will reduce carbon emissions by more than 85 pct on a lifecycle basis.

Biomass to assist the development and deployment of a hydrogen economy -- Looking ahead to more future-oriented solutions, such as the development of the hydrogen economy, biomass is projected to play an important role. The most obvious is to use biomass directly to create hydrogen through gasification and thereby avoid carbon emissions that are associated with natural gas. Even further down the road, when surplus solar and wind could potentially be used to create hydrogen at scale, there will be an exciting opportunity to produce aviation and other fuels with carbon capture of biomass that could result in even fewer net greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, as decarbonization efforts in the steel and cement industry rapidly increase.

ENVIVA is the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, ENVIVA Holdings, LP owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water export terminals in the Southeastern U.S. and exports primarily to previously coal-fired power plants in the U.K., Europe and Japan. We make our pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests and employ about 1,100 people and support many other businesses in the U.S. South. ENVIVA Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: ENVIVA Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and ENVIVA Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. (Source: ENVIVA Holdings, LP, Jan., 2021) Contact: ENVIVA Holdings, LP. ENVIVA Biomass, Enviva Partners, LP, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com

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

ENVIVA
Date: 2021-01-25
The following has been submitted by ENVIVA Holdings, LP, the world's largest industrial wood pellets producer:

Together renewable fuels will further displace coal and natural gas -- As countries take aggressive action on climate change to decarbonize their respective economies by 2050, the direction is clear -- all carbon-neutral and carbon-negative renewable fuels will need to work together if we want to achieve carbon neutrality by mid-century. As the global energy demand for alternative fuels increase, 2021 will mark a turning point for the industry as wind, solar, geothermal, woody biomass, hydrogen, and lithium-ion battery energy providers (among others) make a collective and coordinated effort to combat the global climate crisis.

Europe will continue to be the "Poster Child" for renewable energy implementation, but there will be some regulatory uncertainty. -- Delivering Europe's long-term ambition to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050 requires an extensive set of urgent measures to scale up action. At the very least, the world-leading sustainability criteria established by the Renewable Energy Directive II (REDII) will need to be fully implemented by all member states if Europe plans to meet their 2030 and 2050 emission reduction goals. At best, member states will need to further amend the directive if they wish to succeed in cutting carbon emissions by 55 pct in the next decade from 1990 levels.

Bioenergy is the largest renewable energy source in the EU and will be critical to increased deployment of wind and solar -- The use of bioenergy has more than doubled since 2000 as a result of its end-use as heat, transportation, and electricity. In fact, biomass is the only renewable fuel on the market that is readily available today and can replace fossil fuels for heat generation. In heavy industries such as steel, aluminum, and cement, sustainably sourced wood-based biomass offers a carbon-neutral fuel replacement for coal and gas-fired furnaces (and combined heat and power plants). As a dependable and dispatchable renewable fuel, sustainably-sourced biomass represents a prime solution to complement the intermittency of wind and solar (among other renewables) that will reduce carbon emissions by more than 85 pct on a lifecycle basis.

Biomass to assist the development and deployment of a hydrogen economy -- Looking ahead to more future-oriented solutions, such as the development of the hydrogen economy, biomass is projected to play an important role. The most obvious is to use biomass directly to create hydrogen through gasification and thereby avoid carbon emissions that are associated with natural gas. Even further down the road, when surplus solar and wind could potentially be used to create hydrogen at scale, there will be an exciting opportunity to produce aviation and other fuels with carbon capture of biomass that could result in even fewer net greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, as decarbonization efforts in the steel and cement industry rapidly increase, they too will look to bioenergy solutions for support.

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) -- is one of the very few options on the table that can remove carbon from the atmosphere. Once matured, BECCS could mark the beginning of a new era for low-carbon fuel applications that will enable us to meet and/or exceed international net zero targets while still enjoying air travel and heavy goods transport, which is difficult and very expensive to decarbonize. We expect 2021 will be the year that we see true progress in climate change mitigation, as a result of new initiatives/policies, new innovations, and new collaborations that are already taking shape.

COVID 19 Pandemic aftermath -- Throughout the pandemic we've seen an increased global interest in reducing carbon emissions. Looking ahead, we expect renewable fuels and energy will continue to play a crucial role in power generation for decades to come.

ENVIVA Holdings, LP is the world's largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable and sustainable energy source used to generate electricity and heat. Through its subsidiaries, ENVIV Holdings owns and operates wood pellet processing plants and deep-water terminals in the Southeastern U.S. and exports pellets primarily to formerly coal-fired power plants in the U.K, Europe and Japan. ENVIVA makes pellets using sustainable practices that protect Southern forests and employ about 1,100 people and support many other businesses in the U.S. South. ENVIVA Holdings, LP conducts its activities primarily through two entities: Enviva Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership (NYSE: EVA), and ENVIVA Development Holdings, LLC, a wholly owned private company. (Source: ENVIVA Holdings, LP, Jan., 2021) Contact: ENVIVA Holdings, LP, www.envivabiomass.com

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

Resalta
Date: 2021-01-13
In Croatia, Zagreb-based Resalta -- fka GGE -- reports the sale of its 5 MWe woody biomass-fired cogeneration power plant in Slatina, eastern Croatia, for an undisclosed price to Luxembourg-based Pearl Infrastructure Capital.

The plant was sold through Energy 9, a Resalta subsidiary that owned the power plant in partnership with Slovenian electrical equipment supplier Iskraemeco. Resalta opened the cogeneration plant in 2019 following investment of 24 million euro ($29 million). The plant generates 40 GWh of electricity per year. (Source: Resalta, PR, Balkan Green Energy, 11 Jan., 2021) Contact: Resalta, Luka Komazec, CEO, +386 59 035 200, info.si@resalta.com, www.resalta.com; Pearl Infrastructure Capital, www.pearlinfracap.eu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  Resalta,  

Pinnacle Renewable Energy
Date: 2021-01-11
British Columbia-based wood pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Energy is reporting an extension of a long-term, take-or-pay off-take contract with Japan-headquartered Mitsubishi Corporation Ltd. Under the terms of the extension, Pinnacle will supply 80,000 to 90,000 metric tpy of industrial wood pellets to Mitsubishi beginning in Q1 2023. The industrial wood pellets will be used by a biomass power generation plant in Japan.

Wood pellet usage in Japan has continued to grow alongside the build-out of biomass generating capacity there, providing Pinnacle with a geographically advantaged opportunity to continue expanding in this market, according to the release. (Source: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Website, PR, 7 Dec., 2020) Contact: Pinnacle Renewable Energy, Duncan Davies, CEO, 604.270.9613, 604.270.9914--fax, www.pinnaclepellet.com; Mitsubishi Corp., www.mitsubishicorp.com

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

Veolia
Date: 2021-01-06
In the UK, Veolia reports it is expanding its present 410,000 tpy waste wood recycling and processing capacity by 50,000 tpy in keeping with its commitment to recycling and renewable biomass energy.

To that end, the company's new Runcorn Wood Recycling Facility is designed to support the treatment of wood waste from the Merseyside area for use as flooring, furniture, worktops, and other particle board applications. Lower-grade material will be used for power generation.

In the UK, Veolia's renewable biomass energy operations have saved more than 500,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in the last four years, according to the company. (Source: Veolia, Website, PR, 5 Jan., 2021) Contact: Veolia UK,www.veolia.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Veolia ,  Woody Biomass,  

Voltalia
Date: 2021-01-06
The Paris-headquartered international renewable energy company Voltalia is reporting its Cacao forestry wood waste/woody biomass plant in Roura, French Guiana has begun operation. The €75 million plant has an installed capacity of 5.1 MW and 550 kW/250 Kwh storage capacity and is expected to prevent 28,500 tpy of CO2-equivalent emissions.

The company operates three solar, two biomass, and one hydroelectric, as well as battery storage units with a total installed capacity of 30 MW renewable energy facilities in French Guiana. (Source: Voltalia, PR, Website, Bioenergy Insights, 5 Jan., 2020) Contact: Voltalia, Sebastien Clerc, CEO, +33 (0)1 81 70 37 00, www.voltalia.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Voltalia,  Woody Biomass,  

Enviva
Date: 2020-12-23
Bethesda, Maryland-based wood bioenergy specialist Enviva Partners LP and blockchain firm GoChain are reporting the results of a pilot programme to enhance the traceability of sustainable biomass.

The pilot programme leveraged GoChain's blockchain to identify a select group of suppliers from Enviva's U.S. wood sourcing regions to monitor forest tract locations, load weights, fibre commodity types, forest types and other related data.

In total, more than 1,000 loads of woody biomass were delivered from the forest to the production facility and recorded 'on-chain' during the pilot. The results yielded considerable insights and the pilot has the potential to further increase the accuracy of Enviva's proprietary Track & Trace system, which provides publicly available data and tracks exactly where the low-value wood used in the production of Enviva biomass comes from.(Source: Enviva, PR, Bioenergy Insight, 22 Dec., 2020) Contact: Enviva Partners, LP, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com; GoChain, www.gochain.io

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

Idemitsu
Date: 2020-12-02
Tokyo-headquartered oil refiner Idemitsu reports plans to begin commercial operations of a 50MW biomass power generation plant at its Tokuyama petrochemical complex in western Japan's Yamaguchi prefecture in December 2022.

The plant will initially use roughly 230,000 tpy of imported wood pellets and palm kernel shells to produce around 360GWh/yr of electricity, which will be sold under the country's feed-in-tariff scheme to meet demand of around 100,000 households. The company plans to eventually shift the fuel to domestically-supplied woody biomass, such as thinned and waste wood.

Idemitsu currently participates in small-scale woody biomass power ventures, including the 6.25MW Tosa and 7.34MW Fukui projects, and is developing technology to produce black pellets from sorghum. (Source: Idemitsu, PR, Argus, 30 Nov., 2020) Contact: Idemitsu, ,www.idemitsu.com

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

Neste
Date: 2020-12-02
The Government of Quebec has announced $5.943 million ($4.55 million US) in funding to a non-profit organization Bioenergie La Tuque (BELT) to develop and demonstrate the potential of producing advanced biofuels from locally-sourced forestry waste, woody biomass in La Tuque, Quebec, Canada. The funding will be used to continue project development and plant design, and the potential of building a renewable fuels plant in the area.

BELT, the Council of the Atikamekw Nation and renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel provider Neste have been jointly assessing the feasibility of utilizing sustainably-sourced forest-based biomass and residues for advanced sustainable biofuels production since 2017.

The BioEnergie La Tuque project would utilize 650,000 metric tpy of forest biomass and aligns with and supports Quebec's established forest product industry and commitment to sustainable forestry management and biodiversity, according to the release. (Source: Neste Corporation, Press Release, 30 Nov., 2020) Contact: Neste Corp., Thorsten Lange, Exec. VP, +358 10 458 4128, www.neste.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Neste,  Woody Biomass,  Advanced Biofuel ,  

FortisBC,REN Energy International
Date: 2020-11-27
Edmonton, Alberta-based Thermo Design Engineering Ltd (TDE) reports it is partnering with Kelowna, B.C.-based REN Energy International (REN) to develop a first-of-its-kind, Woody Biomass, wood-waste RNG plant in British Columbia.

REN will build, own, and operate the facility in Fruitvale while FortisBC will own and operate the interconnection facility connecting the project to FortisBC's natural gas transmission system. (Source: Thermo Sesign Engineering, REN, Bioenergy 26 Nov., 2020) Contact: Thermo Design Engineering, Sean Montgomery, Pres., (780) 440-6064, www.thermodesign.com; REN Energy International, Phillip Viggiani, CEO, (250) 999-7766, www.rencorp.ca; FortisBC, Scott Gramm, RNG Supply Manager, Douglas Stout, VP, Market Dev., www.fortisbc.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News FortisBC,  RNG,  Woody Biomass,  

University of Kentucky
Date: 2020-11-09
In Lexington, the University of Kentucky reports it is leading a national group of scientists and industry partners studying ways to reduce sulfur levels in pine forestry waste -- including needles, bark, branches and pulp -- used to produce biofuels. The sulfur levels of some byproducts are high enough to exceed U.S. EPA standards, if the sulfur was carried over to biofuels.

Through a three-year grant from the U.S. DOE EERE, the research team, led by Assistant Professor Jian Shi, will work to identify the reasons behind the sulfur variability in pine feedstocks by studying byproducts collected from across the nation. The research aims to better understand how sulfur accumulates in biofuel feedstocks, what happens to the sulfur during thermochemical conversion and how to remove sulfur and improve gasification.

With the DOE grant and cost-share dollars from universities and the industry, the project will total more than $2 million. Partners include researchers from UK's Center for Applied Energy Research, Kansas State University, Idaho National Laboratory, Mississippi State University and Red Rock Biofuels. (Source: University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Contact: University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Jian Shi, Lead Researcher, 859-257-3468, www.ca.uky.edu

More Low-Carbon Energy News Biofuel,  Biofuel Feedstock,  Woody Biomass,  

DRAX, Forest Trust
Date: 2020-10-30
In the UK, Yorkshire-based DRAX Group reports it is partnering with the not-for-profit Earthworm Foundation -- fka Forest Trust -- on Healthy Forest Landscapes (HFL), an evidence-based tool to measure and evaluate the health of a forest in four key areas -- forest cover, carbon stock, biodiversity, and community well-being, all key focus areas for Drax and its woody biomass-fired power generation plants. The tool will give businesses like Drax the information needed to ensure its operations positively impact the forests where it sources its biomass feedstocks.

HFL measures changes in the forest landscape using empirical evidence such as big data from government statistics and input from earth observations from satellites, other remote sensing technologies, and its own socio-economic evaluation methodology to assess community wellbeing. (Source: DRAX, Bioenergy Insight, 28 Oct., 2020) Contact: Earthworm Foundation, www.earthworm.org; DRAX, Richard Peberdy, Head of Sustainable Forests, +44(0)1757 618381, www.drax.com

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

Biofine Developments Northeast
Date: 2020-10-30
In the Pine Tree State, Bangor-based cellulose bioproducts spcialist Biofine Developments Northeast Inc. (BDNE) reports it has formed a partnership with Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based wholesale energy supplier Sprague Resources LP to produce and market a patented biofuel made from 100 pct ethyl levulinate (EL), an organic chemical compound.

The company hopes finalize the site of its first biorefinery within the next month and begin operation in 2023. The plant would process 100 tpd of lumber industry woody biomass and paper mill wastes to make 3 million gpy of competitively priced "zero-emissions heating oil as well as a side stream of marketable renewable chemical by-products.

Biofine is working with Treadwell Franklin Infrastructure Capital to bring the project to commercial scale and raise $70 million from private investors. Biofine is a member of Biobased Maine, the trade group promoting sustainable manufacturing and biomass solutions. (Source: Biofine Developments Northeast Inc., Press Herald, Oct., 2020) Contact: Biofine Developments Northeast Inc., www.biofinedevelopments.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Woody Biomass,  BDNE,  

Renova
Date: 2020-10-28
Renewable energy and biomass power developer Renova Inc reports it has made a final investment decision and will proceed with the 75-MW Sendai-Gamo Biomass Project in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.

The Sendai-Gamo Biomass Project will utilise wood pellets and palm kernel shells to generate roughly 553,300 MWh annually -- sufficient power for 170,000 households.

Sumitomo Forestry, United Purpose Management, Mizuho Leasing, and Daiwa Energy & Infrastructure are participating in the project which is slated to break ground in Feb, 2021 for completion and startup in Nov., 2023. (Source: Renova,Website PR, 26 Oct., 2020) Contact: Renova Inc., www.renovainc.com

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

Enviva Biomass, Finite Carbon
Date: 2020-10-23
Bethesda, Maryland-based woody biomass pellet manufacturer Enviva reports it is partnering with Wayne, Pa.-based forest carbon offset specialist Finite Carbon to engage small forest landowners across the U.S. Southeast to voluntarily participate in global greenhouse gas emissions reduction programs. The partnership, leveraging Finite Carbon's CORE Carbon free, online platform, will help more than 1.5 million family and non-industrial forest owners address climate change while generating a new annual income stream.

Finite Carbon's CORE Carbon Platform utilizes remote sensing technologies to dramatically reduce the costs and barriers to market entry for smaller forest landowners with as little as 40 acres of forestland. The initial phase of CORE Carbon will focus on a deferred harvest methodology, co-authored with American Carbon Registry, focusing on high conservation value forests such as mature bottomland hardwood stands in the U.S. Southeast. (Source: Enviva Holdings, Enviva Biomass, PR, Valdosta Daily Times, 21 Oct., 2020) Contact: Enviva Holdings LP, John Keppler, CEO, (301) 657-5560, www.envivabiomass.com; Finite Carbon, Sean Carney, Pres., Jazmin Varela, (919) 724-7402, jvarela@finitecarbon.com, www.finitecarbon.com; American Carbon Registry, www.americancarbonregistry.org

More Low-Carbon Energy News Enviva Biomass,  Finite Carbon,  Carbon Offset ,  

Netherlands
Date: 2020-10-21
At the Hague, the Netherlands government is reportedly planning to phase out subsidies for woody biomass power stations, subject to the availability of affordable and environmentally suitable alternative fuel sources. To that end, the government has asked the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) for its recommendations.

Under the present subsidies program, 628 Netherland biomass installations will receive roughly €11.4bn in subsidies over the next few years.

The PBL previously noted the use of biomass may be unavoidable if the Netherlands is to meet the EU targets on energy neutrality, adding that without using biomass the Netherlands will have to increase solar and wind energy installations at a faster rate than presently underway.

The government's advisory body SER has also recommended that subsidies for biomass power be phased out. Despite the subsidy decision, the government said it "remains convinced that the use of biomass is necessary in the transition to a climate neutral and circular economy by 2030 and 2050." (Source: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, DutchNews.nl, 19 Oct., 2020) Contact: Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, www.pbl.nl

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

Woody Biomass,Canada Woody Biomass
Date: 2020-10-19
In Ottawa, the Canadian federal government reports it is spending $13 million on six Northern Ontario projects to help build greener businesses, promote forest sector opportunities facilitate Indigenous community economic development by better positioning them to participate in Canada's bio-economy and benefit from clean energy solutions that use forest-based biomass.

The funding is part of the six-year, $220-million Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program -- Bio Heat Stream, which aims to reduce reliance on diesel fuel in rural and remote communities. (Source: Chronicle Journal, 18 Oct., 2020)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Forest Biomass news,  Woody Biomass news,