Biomass Week - June 20, 2014

County vote could pave the way for new Drax pellet plant in S.C. Drax Biomass, a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Drax Group plc, may elect to develop a new pellet plant in Abbeville County, South Carolina. The county recently passed an ordinance that would allow the company an option to purchase a tract of land. READ MORE SHARE
InventivEnergy, NRG Energy to restart Aspen Power Biomass Plant InventivEnergy LLC has selected NRG Energy Services LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc., to restart the Aspen Power biomass plant in Lufkin, Texas, and operate and maintain the facility once online to provide power for the Texas market. READ MORE SHARE
	Alter Energy Group plans to purchase, expand N.C. pellet plant On June 10, Zurich, Switzerland-based Alter Energy Group AG announced it has signed a letter of intent to acquire a pellet plant located in North Carolina. According to Edward Klaeger, CEO of AEG, the acquisition is expected to close in early August. READ MORE SHARE
Revised ASTM aviation fuel standard paves the way for biojet Renewable Synthesized Iso-Paraffinic fuel has now been included in ASTM International standard D7566, Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons. READ MORE SHARE
Bluesphere initiates multiple biogas projects in Northeast US Bluesphere Corp. has expanded to the Northeast U.S. The company recently received one of the most difficult permits to obtain for its waste-to-energy project in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is developing projects in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. READ MORE SHARE
FERC: Bioenergy capacity was added in May The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Office of Energy Projects has issued Its Energy Infrastructure Update for May, reporting that the U.S. added 19 bioenergy production units with a combined 73 MW capacity from January through May. READ MORE SHARE
Spero Energy wins DOE grant for its lignin catalysis technology A Purdue Research Park-based company whose one-step, patent-pending technology could improve the efficiency of alternative fuel production has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. READ MORE SHARE
Greenleaf secures $100 million to buy, build more biomass plants Greenleaf Power, one of the largest biomass power producers in the U.S., recently announced the closing of a $100 million growth capital facility. The primarily purpose of the financing is to fund future growth of the Greenleaf platform. READ MORE SHARE
Calysta demonstrates conversion of methane to lactic acid Calysta Inc. recently announced it has successfully fermented methane into lactic acid under a research collaboration with NatureWorks. Lactic acid is the building block for NatureWorks Ingeo lactide intermediates and polymers. READ MORE SHARE
Genera, partners collaborate for advancement of advanced biofuels Genera Energy Inc. has partnered with academic and industrial institutions with the goal of demonstrating the production of advanced biofuels from sustainable sources of lignocellulosic biomass. READ MORE SHARE
Pennsylvania offers funding for renewable energy projects The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority is offering approximately $12.5 million in funding to support alternative and renewable energy projects in the state, including biomass, solar, wind and hydro projects. READ MORE SHARE
EIB supports the development of a biomass CHP plant in Sweden The European Investment Bank is providing a EUR 260 million ($353.68 million) loan to the energy company Fortum Varme for the design, construction and operation of a new biomass combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plant. READ MORE SHARE
Byogy Renewables invests in AusAgave Australia Byogy Renewables Inc. has invested in a strategic partnership with AusAgave Australia as part of the upstream integration of multiple feedstocks to develop low cost sugars for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. READ MORE SHARE
EPA opens 120-day comment period on Clean Power Plan The U.S. EPA published its proposed rule to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants in the Federal Register on June 18, officially opening a 120-day comment period. Comments will be accepted through Oct. 16. READ MORE SHARE
ND inventor reports heightened interest in BIONRG biocoal Norman Miller, an entrepreneur from Mapleton, N.D., calls himself the father of biocoal. Among his inventions is the Tri-Pack machine that combines coal and biomass with a proprietary additive into a biocoal that can be left as a powder or densified. READ MORE SHARE
Honeywell jet fuel powers World Cup flights GOL Airlines, the official airline of the Brazil soccer team, is fueling up with Honeywell Green Jet Fuel to carry the team to Brazilian cities hosting 2014 FIFA World Cup matches. The fuel is blended up to 50 percent with petroleum-based jet fuel. READ MORE SHARE
ABO announces Matthew Carr as new executive director The Algae Biomass Organization has announced Matthew Carr as its executive director. Carr most recently served as managing director of the industrial and environmental section at the Biotechnology Industry Organization. READ MORE SHARE
Grant supports infrastructure development for NC biorefinery Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-N.C., recently announced that the city of Clinton, North Carolina, has received a $1.76 million federal grant to construct water and sewer infrastructure to support a proposed 20 MMgy cellulosic biofuel plant. READ MORE SHARE
USDA-ISU report validates cellulosic biomass sustainability Five years of soil nutrient data gathered at Poet-DSM Advanced Biofuels LLC's Project Liberty site are consistent with more than 500 site-years of additional soil research, experts at USDA and Iowa State University have determined. READ MORE SHARE
Total, Amyris to market renewable jet fuel for commercial flights With the newly revised ASTM standard for jet fuel, Amyris Inc. and Total have are preparing to market a drop-in jet fuel that contains up to 10 percent blends of renewable farnesane. The fuel blend meets performance requirements for Jet A/A-1 fuel. READ MORE SHARE
Legislation to freeze Ohio's RPS becomes law Ohio Gov. John Kasich has signed a bill into law that will freeze the state's renewable portfolio standard for two years. Ohio first enacted its RPS in 2008. With the new law, the current 2.5 percent requirement will remain in place through 2016. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces funding for 2 Farm Bill bioenergy programs Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced up to $14.5 million in funding for two USDA bioenergy programs made available through the 2014 Farm Bill. USDA also announced the availability of its new Bioeconomy Tool Shed. READ MORE SHARE