Pellet Mill Monthly - September 3, 2013

UK sets sustainability standards for solid biomass, biogas The U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change has announced that starting in 2015, the biomass industry must show its fuel is sustainable to receive financial support. The requirements apply to power generators with 1 megawatt capacity or higher. 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
	North American wood pellet exports reached new record in Q1 North American wood pellet exports reached a new record of over 1 million tons in the first quarter of 2013, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. In the U.S. South, pellet export volumes to Europe resumed their double-digit growth. READ MORE SHARE
Annual EU report projects increased pellet, biogas consumption The European Union recently published its annual biofuels report for 2013 with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network, reporting that solid biomass will play an important role in meeting renewable targets. READ MORE SHARE
Public-private partnership to develop MSW pellet, biofuel project Washington County, Md., recently announced it is forming a public-private partnership with America First Inc. to launch a waste-to-renewable energy initiative. The two-phase project will produce refuse-derived pellets and drop-in biofuels. 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
FutureMetrics paper outlines its phase-zero feasibility analyses FutureMetrics LLC has published a white paper outlining how its pre-feasibility, "phase-zero" analyses for prospective pellet export projects can provide assistance in defining whether or not a project is feasible before funding is committed. READ MORE SHARE
Power from wood, wood-derived fuels up in June The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the August 2013 issue of its Electric Power Monthly report, which includes power generation data through June. While total power generation was down, power production from wood increased. 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
Rentech sells Natchez site, reports Q2 financial results Rentech Inc. recently announced its subsidiary has closed on the sale of approximately 450 acres of land near Natchez, Miss., for $9 million. The company also released its second quarter financial results, providing an update of its pellet business. READ MORE SHARE
EPA's expanded RE-Powering tool shows vast biomass potential The U.S. EPA has updated its RE-Powering Mapping and Screening Tool, which is part of the RE-Powering America's Land Initiative. The tool lists thousands of potential sites for bioenergy and biofuels on contaminated land, landfill and mine sites. READ MORE SHARE
R.C. Costello, Zeton sign MOU to offer scale-up services R.C. Costello & Associates Inc. and Zeton Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding to provide a customized "end-to-end" solution from feasibility studies, process simulation, front end engineering to detailed design, procurement, and fabrication. READ MORE SHARE