Biomass Power

March 26, 2020

COVID-19 delays construction of 299 MW biomass power plant in UK

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerConstruction on the Tees Renewable Energy Plant (Tees REP) a 299 megawatt (MW) biomass power plant in the U.K. was suspended on March 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A small number of critical maintenance staff remain onsite. READ MORE

March 26, 2020

BHW urges UK government to keep biomass supply chains open

BY Biomass Heat Works! Found In:Pellets, Power, ThermalIndustry leaders are urging government to keep U.K. wood fuel supply chains fully open to ensure suppliers can continue delivering to home heating customers and key frontline organisations and businesses during the coronavirus outbreak. READ MORE

March 25, 2020

Drax: Operations continue during COVID-19 pandemic

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerWill Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group, released a statement on March 25 explaining how Drax and its employees are working to ensure the U.K. is supplied with the power it needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE

March 25, 2020

Kcoe Isom hosts crisis planning webinar

BY Matt ThompsonFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsKcoe Isom hosted a webinar on March 24 that discussed crisis planning and employee communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event also discussed emergency family and medical leave and offered tips for working remotely. READ MORE

March 25, 2020

FFJ launches directory on wood bioenergy research

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalFuture Forests + Jobs announced on March 25 the launch of the FFJ Research Directory, a repository of academic research, papers and studies that document the positive contributions wood bioenergy is making to the energy sector. READ MORE

March 25, 2020

FPAC urges Canada to recognize forest industry as essential

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe Forest Products Association of Canada sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 20 urging him to recognize the Canadian forest products sector as essential and critical infrastructure during the COVID-29 pandemic. READ MORE

March 24, 2020

FRA tracks impact of COVID-19 on forest products industry

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe federal government has classified workers who support the manufacture and distribution of forest products as part of the critical infrastructure workforce. Meanwhile, the FRA is tracking the impact of COVID-19 on the forest products industry. READ MORE

March 23, 2020

Enviva: Pellet production, shipments not impacted by COVID-19

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalEnviva has announced production at its wood pellet manufacturing plants has not been impacted by COVID-19. “Our operations remain stable and our ships are sailing as scheduled,” said the company in a statement issued on March 20. READ MORE

March 23, 2020

Drax’s largest wood pellet shipment arrives in UK

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, PowerAssociated British Ports and Drax announced on March 20 that a shipment of 63,907 metric tons of wood pellets had been received and unloaded earlier in the week. It was the largest shipment of wood pellets handled to date at the Port of Immingham. READ MORE

March 23, 2020

USDA Rural Development implements remote operational status

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsUSDA Rural Development on March 20 announced that it has implemented enterprise-wide remote operational status, effective immediately, to help protect the health of employees, customers and the greater community during the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE

March 21, 2020

In Depth: UK Wood Pellet Market: Past, Present and Future

BY Neil Harrison Found In:Pellets, PowerThe outlook of the U.K. wood pellet market is mixed. READ MORE

March 20, 2020

EIA: Densified biomass fuel sales reach 850,000 tons in November

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 810,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in November, with sales reaching 850,000 tons. READ MORE

March 20, 2020

USIPA: US wood pellet exports continue uninterrupted

BY Anna SimetFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalIn the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, U.S. industrial wood pellet producers continue operations, ensuring no supply disruptions for global customers depending on their product for renewable wood heat and power production. READ MORE

March 19, 2020

Eqtec to develop biomass gasification projects in Greece

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, Thermal, Advanced FuelsU.K. based gasification company Eqtec has announced plans to develop at least two biomass gasification projects in Greece. The first will have a capacity of 500 kilowatts (kw), while second will have a 1 megawatt (MW) capacity. READ MORE

March 17, 2020

UK reports record bioenergy production for 2019

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, BiogasThe U.K. government recently released provisional energy statistics for 2019, reporting that renewable energy production increased by 4.9 percent last year. Bioenergy output of was up 2.1 percent for the year. READ MORE

March 17, 2020

ABC staff initiates remote work procedures due to COVID-19

BY American Biogas Council Found In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsThe American Biogas Council has announced its staff will work remotely for the rest of the month, effective March 16. The organization will continue to operate at full capacity. ABC staff can be reached by phone, email and teleconference. READ MORE

March 16, 2020

DOE cancels March 24-25 meeting of biomass R&D advisory committee

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy on March 16 announced it has canceled the open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee scheduled for March 24-25 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. READ MORE

March 13, 2020

50 MW biomass power plant begins operations in Spain

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:PowerSpain-based power producer Greenalia announced on March 10 that its 50 megawatt (MW) biomass power plant in Curtis-Teixeiro, Spain, began operations ahead of schedule and is currently producing and selling electricity. READ MORE

March 13, 2020

DOE: Biomass R&D technical advisory committee to meet March 24-25

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe U.S. Department of Energy has scheduled an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development and Technical Advisory Committee for March 24-25. The meeting will be held in Arlington, Virginia. READ MORE

March 12, 2020

EIA predicts increase in biomass power capacity

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalThe U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts 19 percent of U.S. electricity will be generated from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent last year, according to the agency’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, released March 11. READ MORE

March 11, 2020

Executive order expands Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsOregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order on March 10 that sets a new goal for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and outlines several steps the state will take to combat climate change, including expanding Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program. READ MORE

March 09, 2020

Food waste recycling bill sent to New Jersey governor

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, BiogasThe New Jersey Senate on March 5 passed a food waste recycling bill that expands the definition of Class I renewables to include electricity generated from methane produced by food waste processing. The bill will now be considerd by the governor. READ MORE

March 06, 2020

USDA issues rule on Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsThe USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp. and Farm Service Agency published a final rule on March 2 implementing changes to the agency’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), as required by the 2018 Farm Bill. READ MORE

March 05, 2020

New Mexico governor signs bill to extend biomass tax credit

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, Biogas, Advanced FuelsNew Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill on March 4 that extends the state’s agricultural biomass income tax and corporate income tax credit for 10 years, through Jan. 1, 2030. The bill also establishes new reporting requirements. READ MORE

March 05, 2020

Perdue appoints Brand to lead USDA Rural Development

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsU.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Feb. 28 announced the appointment of Bette Brand to serve as USDA Rural Development Deputy. Brand replaces former Rural Development Deputy Donald “DJ” LaVoy following his retirement. READ MORE

March 04, 2020

Wyden introduces energy bill amendment that benefits biomass

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, Thermal, BiogasSen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., filed an amendment to the American Energy Innovation Act on March 3 that includes an expansion of the residential energy tax credit to include efficient biomass thermal boilers and furnaces. READ MORE

March 03, 2020

UK proposes to exclude biomass conversions from next CfD auction

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, BiogasThe U.K. government has proposed to exclude new coal-to-biomass conversions from future rounds of its CfD scheme. Under the proposal, dedicated biomass with CHP and various forms of biogas projects would continue to be eligible for CfDs. READ MORE

March 03, 2020

A novel biofuel system for hydrogen production from biomass

BY Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology Found In:Power, Thermal, Advanced Fuels, ChemicalsA research team, led by Professor Jungki Ryu in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has presented a new biofuel system that uses lignin found in biomass for the production of hydrogen. READ MORE

March 02, 2020

Potential of torrefied wood pellets discussed at House hearing

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Pellets, Power, ThermalTorrefied wood pellets were among the products discussed during a Feb. 26 hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Conservation and Forests, titled “Innovative Wood Products: Promoting Rural Economies and Healthy Forests.” READ MORE

February 28, 2020

Pingree introduces net-zero ag bill that supports biogas energy

BY Erin VoegeleFound In:Power, Thermal, Biogas, Advanced FuelsRep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has introduced legislation that sets a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in U.S. agriculture by 2040. Anaerobic digestion technology would play a part in reaching that goal. READ MORE