Pellet Mill Monthly - March 4, 2014

European Pellet Conference opens with bullish outlook The morning speakers at The European Pellet Conference all outlined continued strong growth for both global pellet demand and production. READ MORE SHARE
OkoFEN tour anchors world pellet conference field day The European Pellet Conference in Wels, Austria opened its 2014 event with a field day featuring some of Austria's biggest operators in the biomass-to-energy industry. READ MORE SHARE
	European Pellet Conference concludes in Wels, Austria The European Pellet Conference concluded on Thursday February 27, 2014 in Wels, Austria with a country by country market analysis moderated by the Executive Director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada, Gordon Murray. READ MORE SHARE
Study finds transatlantic pellet trade results in GHG reductions A new study by the University of Georgia has determined that the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of a unit of electricity generated in the U.K. using imported wood pellets is at least 50 percent lower than fossil fuel-derived electricity. READ MORE SHARE
Renewable Heat NY funds 18 woody biomass projects Promptly implementing New York's recently announced Renewable Heat NY, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced 18 projects that will receive program funding to help install high-efficiency, low-emission wood-fired heating equipment. READ MORE SHARE
Drax considers developing additional U.S. pellet capacity Drax Group plc has released preliminary financial result for 2013, reporting that earnings were ahead of expectations, reflecting good operations and healthy spreads. The company also announced it will consider adding additional pellet capacity. READ MORE SHARE
Carbon sequestration not so simple in biomass crop production Findings at the USDA are providing information about the soil carbon dynamics that play a crucial role in lifecycle assessments of bioenergy production. These studies at support the USDA priority of developing new new sources of bioenergy. READ MORE SHARE
University to use Heyl & Patterson equipment in biocoal research Heyl & Patterson Inc. has announced the sale of an indirect-fired rotary calciner to the University of Minnesota, Duluth's Natural Resources Research Institute.It will be used to transform wood biomass into torrefied wood, or "biocoal." READ MORE SHARE
Dutch power plant successfully tests torrefied biomass pellets A consortium consisting of Topell Energy, Essent, Nuon, GDF SUEZ, and ECN has successfully completed a large-scale cofiring test with an innovative renewable energy source at the Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg, Netherlands. READ MORE SHARE
Valmet, Zilkha Biomass Energy announce collaborative agreement Zilkha Biomass Energy LLC and Valmet Corp. have signed a five-year collaboration agreement in the field of steam exploded black pellets. The purpose of the agreement is to bring steam exploded black pellets to the market. READ MORE SHARE
Up-to-date Pellet Plant Data Now Online! The Biomass and Pellet Mill magazine team reached out to every proposed, under construction, and existing pellet plants in the U.S. and Canada to reaffirm the trove of data that we keep on North America's expanding pellet industry. READ MORE SHARE
Lantmannen Agroenergi, Neova to merge pellet operations Lantmannen and Neova AB are merging their respective wood pellet businesses. The new company will include Neova's wood pellet business in Sweden and the corresponding Lantmännen Agroenergi businesses in Sweden and Latvia. READ MORE SHARE
Obama signs Farm Bill, announces Made in Rural America initiative President Obama signed the 2014 Farm Bill into law during a Feb. 7 ceremony at Michigan State University. During his speech, Obama also announced the launch of a new "Made in Rural America" export and investment initiative. READ MORE SHARE
Wood pellets a hot commodity across U.S. The wallets of homeowners across the nation using propane or heating oil as a fuel source have likely taken a big hit this winter, due to unusually cold temperatures, compliments of the polar vortex, and frequent storms. READ MORE SHARE