Pellet Mill Press - August 19, 2014

Platts announces industrial wood pellet price assessments Platts has expanded its electric power offerings to include a weekly spot price assessment for Europe-delivered industrial wood pellets and a suite of U.K. wood pellet profitability spreads at different fuel efficiencies. READ MORE SHARE
Drax loses appeal over CfD, expected to proceed with conversion On Aug. 7, Drax Group plc released a statement indicating that its second unit conversion is no longer eligible for an investment contract. Rather, the company is expected to proceed with the conversion with support under the Renewables Obligation. READ MORE SHARE
	First international standards in solid biofuels published The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers announces that the first seven international standards in the expanding industry of solid biofuels have been published. In addition, work has also begun on part eight of the series. READ MORE SHARE
Proposed pellet plant to export product to South Korea A proposed pellet plant under development near Mission, British Columbia, aims to produce wood pellets for export into industrial markets in South Korea and other Asian markets. The project is being developed by SMG Wood Pellet Inc. READ MORE SHARE
USDA announces inclusion of wood products in BioPreferred program The USDA has issued a final rule eliminating the restrictions on including mature market wood products and other materials in the BioPreferred program. The action implements changes included in the 2014 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
Andritz reports solid activity in pellet sector in Q2 results The Andritz Group has released financial results for the first half of the year, reporting solid project activity in the biomass pelleting sector. Overall, Andritz reported order intake of EUR 2.98 billion ($3.98 billion) for the period. READ MORE SHARE
Residential wood heat incentives trending In New York and Massachusetts, residential wood heating incentives are on a roll, and the industry is beginning to see trends, according to John Ackerly, president of the Alliance for Green Heat. READ MORE SHARE
Expansion of fiber business outlined in Rentech Q2 earnings call Rentech CEO Hunt Ramsbottom outlined the company's continued efforts to expand its fiber business in a quarterly earnings call. READ MORE SHARE
Ontario pellet plant expected to begin operations in Q4 Resolute Forest Products Inc. provided a brief update on the status of its pellet plant under development in Thunder Bay, Ontario, during its second quarter investor conference call. The facility is expected to be operational in the fourth quarter. READ MORE SHARE
USDA report aims to provide uniform method for GHG assessment The USDA recently published a report that provides uniform scientific methods for quantifying the changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon storage from various land management and conservation activities. READ MORE SHARE
Groups advocate for biogenic emissions framework in letter More than 100 organizations recently partnered to issue a letter to John Podesta, counselor to President Obama, urging his support in the release of the U.S. EPA's biogenic accounting framework. READ MORE SHARE
Progress continues on development of solid biofuel standards Meeting recently in Stockholm, ISO Technical Committee 238, Solid Biofuels, made measurable progress toward developing the content for a series of physical property test standards and related topics. READ MORE SHARE
AgriLife Research: Mesquite a complementary biofuel feedstock A recent Texas A&M AgriLife Research study outlines how mesquite measures up relative to other bioenergy feedstocks with regard to economic and greenhouse gas efficiency. READ MORE SHARE
Bioenergy week planned in Ontario Canadian Bioenergy Association, the Forest Products Association of Canada, Lakehead University, Confederation College and the Biomass Innovation Centre of Nipissing University are partnering to offer a full-slate of events from Sept. 8-13 in Ontario. READ MORE SHARE