BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalJapan recently filed a report with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network, noting the country imported a record 347,000 metric tons of wood pellets last year for thermal power generation. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerGreat Northern Timber Group has signed a tentative agreement to purchase the Scotia Atlantic Biomass pellet plant, pending due diligence and court approval, said Thor Olesen, CEO of GNT. The facility is expected to restart operations later this year. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has announced the official launch of its new technical blog, Bioprose: Building the Bioeconomy through Technology & Communication. READ MORE

BY Metsä Group Found In:Pellets, Biogas, ChemicalsMetsä Group’s next-generation bioproduct mill in Äänekoski, Finland, came into operation as planned on Aug. 15. The facility will produce several products, including pulp, biogas and biofuel pellets from sludge. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalU.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell has announced his retirement, effective Sept. 1. He has served at the post since June 2009. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Tony Tooke will take over as chief following Tidwell’s retirement. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalFutureMetrics has published a new white paper on the Japanese industrial wood pellet market. The report predicts most of demand growth for industrial wood pellets after 2019 will come from Japan and South Korea. READ MORE

BY U.S. Department of Energy Found In:Pellets, ThermalThe U.S. Department of Energy has announced the launch of the fourth Wood Stove Design Challenge in partnership with the Alliance for Green Heat. Teams from around the world will compete for up to $25,000 in prizes. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalOn Aug. 10, Rentech released second quarter financial results, reporting the quarter continued to be challenging. During an investor call, Keith Forman, president and CEO of Rentech, discussed factors resulting in lower quarterly revenues. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsIn late July, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., introduced legislation that aims to repeal bioenergy programs contained under Title IX of the 2014 Farm Bill. A total of 10 programs, including the Rural Energy for America Program, would be eliminated. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the August edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, predicting electricity generation from renewable sources will reach 1.857 million MWh per day in 2017, falling to 1.836 MWh per day in 2018. READ MORE

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy has announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee Aug. 15-16 in Los Angeles, California. READ MORE

BY Anna SimetFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, BiogasThe United Kingdom is currently ahead of its renewable energy targets laid out in the 2009 European Union Renewable Energy Directive, according to the U.K. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s Digest of UK Energy Statistics. READ MORE

BY Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada Found In:Pellets, Power, ThermalCanadians will benefit from well-paying jobs and business opportunities created by a Halifax-based company that turns landfill waste into clean-burning fuel, thanks to a $2.6-million investment by the government of Canada. READ MORE

BY Tim PortzFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalProducers who have embraced safety and are aggressively pursuing best practices in dust management are finding that, in addition to increased employee safety and retention, these measures are introducing new efficiencies into plants and increasing pr READ MORE

BY Ron KotrbaFound In:PelletsSilo fires cost time, money and sometimes even lives. Minimizing the risk of, and damage from, fires should be mission-critical for responsible pellet producers. READ MORE