Pellet Mill Monthly - August 7, 2012

Pellet plant breaks ground in Va., brings economic growth Maryland-based Enviva LP broke ground on a new 500,000 ton-per-year pellet production facility in Southampton County, Va. The plant represents the biggest economic development opportunity in the county over the past 20 years. READ MORE SHARE
UK releases new Renewables Obligation subsidy levels The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has published levels of financial support that will be available through the Renewables Obligation for large-scale renewable electricity generators from 2013-2017. READ MORE SHARE
	Swedish, U.S. firms finish first of wood pellet boiler series Sweden-based ABioNova and Minnesota-based WoodMaster celebrated their first in a series of "Made in America" commercial wood pellet boiler system installations at a ribbon-cutting ceremony highlighted by special guest, Swedish Ambassador to the U.S. READ MORE SHARE
Ontario continues coal phase-out with biomass The Ontario government announced it is moving forward with plans to convert its Atikokan Generating Station to biomass, which will be one of the largest biomass power plants in the world when complete. READ MORE SHARE
Reports address US pellet production, EU sustainability criteria U.S. producers of wood pellets will likely need to meet or exceed sustainability standards set by the European Union for solid biofuels in order access the European export market. Two reports have recently been published that examine the issue. READ MORE SHARE
Low natural gas costs cause dip in biomass prices A new report by Wood Resources International shows biomass prices dropped in the U.S. South, Northeast and West during the second quarter of 2012, primarily due to the continued fall of natural gas prices, which reached a 10 year low. READ MORE SHARE
USDA, DOE invest $41 million in 13 biofuels, biomass projects The USDA and the U.S. DOE announced they are putting $41 million toward 13 projects focused on developing sustainable biomass feedstock sources and increasing the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products. READ MORE SHARE
Forest Service funds wood-to-energy initiatives The U.S. Forest Service has awarded a total of $4 million to 12 different wood-to-energy projects throughout the country. The majority of the projects will focus on using woody biomass for either power or thermal applications. READ MORE SHARE
Ore. working group outlines strategy to improve biomass industry The Oregon Forest Biomass Working Group has issued a forest biomass strategy which includes four key initiatives. Made up of more than 40 stakeholders, the FBWG believes the measures will help expand the state's biomass industry. READ MORE SHARE
Pellet, biogas producers awarded payments under USDA program The USDA announced payments to 125 biofuel producers on July 27, including several biogas and pellet companies. The awards were made under the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
Coast Guard, USDA strategize for biomass in southeast Alaska In an effort to reduce overall heating costs for its larger Alaskan facilities, the U.S. Coast Guard is making efforts to convert from heating oil to wood pellets and is collaborating with the USDA's Forest Service to further progress. READ MORE SHARE
Mid-South bioenergy initiative could guard against drought impact Loretta Daniel, the director for regional business and the innovation center at Murray State University in Kentucky, recently provided an update on the West Kentucky AgBioworks Initaitve to local and federal authorities. READ MORE SHARE
Investment aims to reduce NWT community energy costs with biomass The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and the Northwest Territories government have invested over $5.7 million to create opportunities for a sustainable woody biomass industry in Canada's Northwest Territories. READ MORE SHARE