Biomass Week - August 16, 2013

Big Oil already pushing for partial waiver of 2014 RFS volumes One week after the U.S. EPA finalized the 2013 volume requirements for the renewable fuels standard (RFS), the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute are already gearing up to fight the 2014 RFS standards. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass Magazine webinar provides real project updates During the second installment in Biomass Magazine's free webinar series, four companies provided progress reports on the construction of their respective biomass power, biogas, and advanced biofuel plants. READ MORE SHARE
	USDA announces REAP funding On Aug. 15, the USDA awarded more than $21 million in grant and loan funding to 631 projects under the Rural Energy for America Program, several of which include the installation of biomass boilers and anaerobic digestion systems. READ MORE SHARE
Anaerobic digester to supply power for MSU campus An anaerobic digester that will reuse waste from Michigan State University's farms and dining halls and create energy for several buildings on the south end of campus is now open for business. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was Aug. 13. READ MORE SHARE
New joint venture funds straw-fired power plant in the UK U.K.-based Eco2 Ltd. has announced the sale of its Brigg Renewable Energy Plant project to BWSC PLC for GBP160 million ($248.48 million). BWSC PLC is a joint venture formed by Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S and PensionDanmark. READ MORE SHARE
Report: 40 MW of new biomass power capacity came online in July The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects has published its Energy Infrastructure Update for July 2103, reporting one new biomass unit with an installed capacity of 40 megawatts (MW) was placed in service during the month. READ MORE SHARE
Zilkha lands financing to convert Alabama plant to Black Pellets Zilkha Biomass Fuels has closed an $18.8 million finance package to renovate and retrofit the former Dixie Pellets plant in Selma, Ala., to a full-scale Black Pellet plant with an annual capacity of 275,000 tons. READ MORE SHARE
KiOR announces Q2 financial results, discusses expansion plans KiOR Inc. has released financial results for the second quarter, reporting operational progress at its Columbus, Miss., plant. During a call to discuss the results, KiOR president and CEO Fred Cannon also highlighted the company's expansion plans. READ MORE SHARE
Solazyme announces Ill. project proceeding ahead of schedule Solazyme Inc. recently released financial results for the second quarter of 2013, reporting progress in the development of its commercial production facilities. The company reported total revenue for the quarter of $11.2 million. READ MORE SHARE
Active Energy Group announces contract with Biomasse Italia Active Energy Group plc has announced a new supply contract with Biomasse Italia SpA, one of Europe's largest biomass energy producers. Biomasse Italia operates two power stations in southeast Italy, with a combined biomass demand of 700,000 tons. READ MORE SHARE
Landfill gas plant under development in Turkey A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a 1.2 MW landfill gas project in Turkey, near the provincial capital Malatya, East Anatolian. The project will utilize a MWM TCG 2020 V12 genset, and is expected to be operational in October. READ MORE SHARE
Dyadic announces increased biofuel R&D efforts in Q2 release Dyadic International Inc. has announced financial results for the second quarter of 2013, noting that total revenue for the three-month period decreased to $7.1 million compared to $7.8 million for the same period of last year. READ MORE SHARE
UK DECC publishes draft of Contract for Difference The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change has published a detailed draft of a long-term Contract for Difference, which is a new support mechanism that is being introduced to help incentivize private sector investment in energy infrastructure. READ MORE SHARE
Detroit Renewable Energy completes major financing Detroit Renewable Energy LLC completed $55 million in long-term financing to support its investment in the environmental, renewable energy and economic development infrastructure in Detroit. READ MORE SHARE
GranBio, Rhodia sign partnership deal in renewable chemicals GranBio, a Brazilian biotechnology company, and Rhodia, a Solvay Group company, have signed an agreement to create a partnership dedicated to the production of bio n-butanol. Bio n-butanol is made from sugar cane straw and bagasse. READ MORE SHARE
Tilbury Power Station completes final day of operation The U.K.'s largest biomass power plant is completing its final day of operation. RWE npower has announced that the 750 MW facility will generate power for the last time on Aug. 13. The facility, originally fueled with coal, operated for 46 years. READ MORE SHARE
Sen. Udall tours biomass power plant in Gypsum, Colo. Following a visit to the site of Gypsum's new biomass power plant, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said this public-private partnership should serve as an example for the nation on how to create jobs and generate energy while also reducing wildfire risks. READ MORE SHARE