Biomass Week - August 1, 2014

WM to plans sale of Wheelabrator to Energy Capital Partners Waste Management Inc. has reported second quarter financial results and announced an agreement to sell its waste-to-energy business, Wheelabrator Technologies Inc., to an affiliate of Energy Capital Partners for $1.94 billion. READ MORE SHARE
Drax provides operational update during investor call The Drax Group plc has announced financial results for the first half of the year, reporting that biomass now accounts for more than 20 percent of the its output. Both the first converted unit and the enhanced cofiring unit are performing well. READ MORE SHARE
	Biomass Magazine launches biogas map Biomass Magazine has added biogas energy producers to its existing portfolio of bioenergy map products, which includes U.S. biomass power facilities and U.S. and Canada pellet manufacturing plants. READ MORE SHARE
2014 PFI conference considers market outlook The pellet market outlook dominated presentations at the Pellet Fuels Institute annual conference held July 28-29 in Orlando, Florida. During the event, several speakers highlighted the expected growth markets around the globe. READ MORE SHARE
N.Y. announces biomass thermal incentives, RPS solicitation On July 29, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made two announcements that will benefit bioenergy projects within the state, including the official launch of Renewable Heat N.Y. and the availability of funding to support clean energy generation projects. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta reports Q2 results, provides maintenance update Covanta Holdings Corp. recently released its second quarter 2014 results, reporting revenue of $432 million, up from $411 million for the same period of last year. Net income from continuing operations was $2 million. READ MORE SHARE
GOL Airlines completes flight with Amyris-Total aviation biofuel On July 31, Amyris partnered with Brazilian airline, GOL, to fly the industry's first commercial flight with farnesane, the recently approved renewable jet fuel. The first flight, GOL flight 7725, traveled from Orlando, Florida, to Sao Paulo, Brazil. READ MORE SHARE
Joint venture to develop pellet plants in Vietnam PHI Group Inc. recently announced that it has signed a memoranda of understanding with two Vietnam-based wood processing companies to set up joint venture wood pellet factories in Central and Southern Vietnam. READ MORE SHARE
EPA releases June RIN data The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for June, reporting that more than 1.46 billion RINs were generated during the month across all biofuel categories. READ MORE SHARE
Waters' New Biotech solidifies proposed export facility location Waters' New Biotech, a pellet manufacturer headquartered in Wisconsin, has received approval of a letter of intent from commissioners for the Mississippi State Port Authority for a possible lease of land at the Port of Gulfport in Mississippi. READ MORE SHARE
DOE funds biomass-based renewable carbon fiber projects The Energy Department has announced up to $11.3 million for two projects that aim to advance the production of cost-competitive, high-performance carbon fiber material from renewable, non-food-based feedstocks. READ MORE SHARE
Zilkha Biomass Energy to develop pellet plant in Arkansas Zilkha Biomass Energy has announced it is building a facility in Monticello, Arkansas, to manufacture their Zilkha Black Pellet. The company plans to invest $90 million in the facility and create 52 new jobs. READ MORE SHARE
Velocys announces commercial-scale GTL plant gets go-ahead Velocys plc has announced that the final investment decision has been made to proceed with construction of a commercial gas-to-liquids plant using the company's technology. READ MORE SHARE
Miscanthus might yield more biomass in Iowa that first thought Miscanthus, a perennial grass with vast potential to produce biomass, would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. READ MORE SHARE
New UC Davis study offers surprising insights on biofuels A study recently released by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis examines how an incremental approach to supplement advanced innovation in biofuels can help California and the nation meet clean fuel and lower emission standards. READ MORE SHARE
Drax one step closer to securing CfD for second unit conversion A recent regulatory filing made by the Drax Group plc indicates the company could be one step closer to securing an investment contract for a second biomass unit conversion under the Final Investment Decision Enabling (FID Enabling) mechanism. READ MORE SHARE
Joint venture formed to develop cellulosic biorefinery in China A joint venture of an M&G Chemicals subsidiary and China-based Anhui Guozhen Co. Ltd. has been created to develop a commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol plant in Fuyang City, Anhui Province, China. The project was first announced in late 2013. READ MORE SHARE
GIB funds biomass boiler at Scottish distillery The U.K. Green Investment Bank has announced a further investment in the Scottish drinks industry.The project at Balmenach distillery in Speyside will receive funding to support the installation of a biomass boiler. READ MORE SHARE
JBEI develops tool for characterizing plant sugar transporters A powerful new tool that can help advance the genetic engineering of "fuel" crops for clean, green and renewable bioenergy, has been developed by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint BioEnergy Institute. READ MORE SHARE
Helping switchgrass survive winter will boost biofuel potential Michigan State University has been awarded $1 million from a joint U.S. Department of Energy and USDA program to develop hardier switchgrass, a plant native to North America that holds high potential as a biofuel source. READ MORE SHARE
Genera Energy introduces proprietary feedstock management systems Genera Energy Inc. has announced the deployment of two new proprietary feedstock management systems, Energy Grange and Supply AssureBoth systems were developed through years of R&D and in-the-field testing. READ MORE SHARE
Dalkia to design, operate biomass power plant in Canada Dalkia and the Canadian investment fund Fengate Capital Management Ltd. are again joining forces to develop a second biomass power plant in Merritt, British Columbia. The facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 40 MW. READ MORE SHARE
NRDC report ranks biofuel sustainability programs Amid increasing interest in alternative transportation fuels, a new report commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council shows how federal agencies and other large commercial customers can buy sustainably produced biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Biofuels are included in latest U.S. Navy fuel procurement Recently the U.S. Department of Defense released its annual procurement for bulk fuels to be delivered to its facilities in the eastern and inland United States and Gulf Coast. For the first time, this procurement requests biofuel blends. READ MORE SHARE
BioCNG to design biogas conditioning system, pipeline BioCNG LLC has announced that it has been selected to design and build a BioCNG biogas conditioning system and gas pipeline for the Persigo wastewater treatment plant, which is jointly owned by the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County, Colorado. READ MORE SHARE
Gevo: Side-by-side operation of Luverne plant on track Gevo Inc. has reported an update on the progress of the implementation of the side-by-side operational mode (SBS) of its plant in Luverne, Minnesota. In the beginning of June, Gevo commenced the co-production of isobutanol and ethanol. READ MORE SHARE