Covanta Holding Corp. provided a brief update of its waste-to-energy (WtE) projects and discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations during a second quarter earnings call held July 31.
A recent survey completed by ENplus found that 75 percent of ENplus certified wood pellet producers and traders have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, many by reduced demand from end users.
Drax Group plc on July 29 released financial results for the first half of 2020, reporting that biomass power generation was up 16 percent and pellet production was up 15 percent while achieving a 9 percent reduction in cost.
A construction project in the U.K. was completed six months ahead of schedule, providing improved links between the East of England, the Midlands and the North. Ash from Drax Power Station was used in the project's concrete structures.
Simec Atlantis Energy Ltd. announced in mid-July that it now plans to develop its proposed U.K.-based Uskmouth power station conversion project in two phases. The company is also considering options to co-locate data centers at the plant.
An annual report filed with the USDA shows that the EU's wood pellet market has been relatively unaffected by COVID-19 but cautions further market expansion could be limited by member state sustainability requirements.
Wheelabrator Kemsley, a new waste-to-energy facility at Kemsley in Kent, England, has entered full commercial operation.The CHP facility will take in up to 550,000 metric tons of of non-recyclable waste annually.
BBI International has announced that the 2020 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo, the ethanol industry's largest conference, has been moved and will be virtual, due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The event will now take place Sept. 15-17.
DB Cargo U.K. will operate an average of 60 trains per week from the ports of Immingham and Hull to Drax Power Station in Selby, Yorkshire. Each train will carry around 1,650 metric tons of sustainable biomass to Drax Power Station.
The U.S. Industrial Pellet Association on July 13 issued a statement expressing disappointment that a recent European court ruling regarding the inclusion of wood biomass in the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive is being appealed.
SIMEC Atlantis Energy has completed industrial-scale combustion testing of the waste-derived fuel pellets it plans to use as fuel at the Uskmouth Power Station following its conversion. The company has also released an updated project timeline.
The U.S. exported 572,499.8 metric tons of wood pellets in May, up from 553,885.4 metric tons exported during the same month of last year, but down from the 595,166.2 metric tons exported in April, according to data released by the USDA on July 2.
Statkraft has extended a power purchase agreement (PPA) to continue the offtake of power from Greencoat Capital's 34 MW Sleaford Biomass plant. The PPA was originally set to expire in 2027 but has been extended to 2034.
Eqtec, a technology supplier for gasification projects, announced on June 29 that its wholly owned subsidiary Eqtec Iberia SLU has signed a collaboration framework agreement with Ireland-based Carbon Sole Group Ltd.
The U.K. government has announced that applicants to the non-domestic RHI scheme will have an extra 14 months to complete projects delayed by COVID-19. The government also confirmed that a third allocation for the non-domestic RHI will open in July.
Drax Group and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering Ltd., part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, have agreed a new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) pilot project at Drax Power Station that will get underway this autumn.
U.K.-based climate think-tank Ember released a report in June that claims the U.K. should abandon the carbon tax break afforded to large biomass power plants. Both the USIPA and U.K. REA say the report ignores current science on biomass.
U.K.-based Velocys plc announced on June 12 the company has secured an additional £500,000 in grant funding from the U.K. government in support of its proposed Altalto Immingham waste-to-fuels plant that will produce sustainable aviation fuel.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 700,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in February, with sales reaching 680,000 tons.
Glennmont Partners has completed the sale of Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant to Greencoat Capital. Sleaford REP is an operational 39 MWe renewable CHP plant that uses a blend of straw and sustainable woodchip to generate power and heat.
A report released by the UN Environment Programme, the Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre, and BloombergNEF on June 10 shows biomass and waste-to-energy received $123 billion in financing for new projects between 2010 and 2019.
A 28-day pre-application consultation (PAC) for the Uskmouth conversion project is now open. SIMEC Atlantis Energy Ltd. has proposed to convert the U.K.-based coal-fired power plant to operate using waste-derived fuel pellets.
The U.S. exported 595,166.2 metric tons of wood pellets in April, up from the 424,680.5 million tons that were exported in April 2019, but down from the 670,463.8 million tons that were exported in March 2020, according to data released by the USDA.
U.K. electricity generation from fossil fuels fell by 25 percent between the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020—the largest fall on record, according to data released in the latest in the Drax Electric Insights report.
A one-year old rail link has increased capacity to deliver more sustainable biomass from Drax's LaSalle BioEnergy pellet plant in Urania, Louisiana, to its U.K. power station, taking thousands of trucks off local roads.
The U.S. Industrial Pellet Association has welcomed the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which acknowledges that sustainable biomass will be integral to achieving Europe's carbon reduction and biodiversity goals.
Velocys plc has announced that it has secured a further £1 million funding for the Altalto waste-to-fuels project from British Airways PLC and Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd. The proposed plant will produce sustainable aviation fuel.
The American Coalition for Ethanol is pleased to announce its 33rd annual conference will be held in conjunction with the rescheduled International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo hosted by BBI International on Aug. 25, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Network Rail, Lynemouth Power Limited, Port of Tyne and GBRF are working together to keep the lights on at 450,000 homes across the U.K. The railway and its key workers are keeping vital freight services moving during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has extended the public consultation period on proposed changes to its Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. Comments are now due on May 29.
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