Pellet Mill Press - January 6, 2015

Portucel to construct pellet plant in South Carolina Portugal-based Portucel S.A. has announced plans to build a 460,000-ton-per-year pellet plant in Greenwood County, South Carolina. Construction on the $110 million project is expected to begin in early 2015, with operations commencing in 2016. READ MORE SHARE
FAO report highlights global growth in pellet production In late December, the FAO of the United Nations published forest products data for 2013, reporting wood pellet production soared to an all-time high last year. The growth was driven primarily by bioenergy policies and consumption targets in Europe. READ MORE SHARE
	2015 biomass conferences to colocate in Minneapolis BBI International, owners and organizers of the International Biomass Conference & Expo, recently reported Heating the Midwest, a regional conference focusing on biomass derived thermal energy, will be colocated with this year's conference. READ MORE SHARE
Oregon lawmakers consider incentives to replace old wood stoves The Oregon Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources recently introduced draft legislation to direct the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to study the creation of incentives to encourage homeowners to replace old wood stoves. READ MORE SHARE
USDA publishes final rule for REAP program On Dec. 29, the USDA published a final rule in the Federal Register for the Rural Energy for America Program. The program provides financial assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable energy systems. READ MORE SHARE
Belgian power sector resumes firing of wood pellets An updated report filed with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Global Information Network indicates the Belgian power sector has resumed firing wood pellets following a government decision to once again grant Green Certificates for their use. READ MORE SHARE
USDA GAIN report addresses Canadian pellet, biogas industry The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Information Network has published an annual report on the Canadian biofuels industry. The report highlights the current state of the Canadian wood pellet industry. READ MORE SHARE
EPA seeks nominations for new Agricultural Science Committee Nominations are due Jan. 30 for the U.S. EPA's new Science Advisory Board Agricultural Science Committee, which was established by the 2014 Farm Bill to advise EPA on matters impacting farming and agriculture-related industries. READ MORE SHARE
UK Green Investment Bank funds several recent biomass projects U.K. Green Investment Bank has made several biomass investments in recent months, including investments in a waste wood renewable energy facility, an energy-from-waste treatment plant and the installation of biomass heating on a poultry farm. READ MORE SHARE
SBP accepts biomass producers as applicants for certification Sustainable Biomass Partnership announced five certification bodies have been accepted as applicants, including, BM Trada, Bureau Veritas Latvia, Control Union, NEPCon and National Science Foundation. READ MORE SHARE
Obama signs short-term tax extenders legislation On Dec. 19, President Obama signed a bill that retroactively extends several tax incentives that expired at the end of 2013 and throughout this year through the end of 2014, including several incentives that benefit biofuel and bioenergy producers. READ MORE SHARE
Wood Resources International: U.S. pellet exports up in Q2 The U.S. South increased pellet exports to Europe by 10 percent from the fourth quarter of 2013 through the second quarter of 2014. During the same period, Canada decreased exports to Europe by 25 percent, but significantly increased exports to Asia. READ MORE SHARE
Vencor International enters agreement to produce bio-coal Venco International Inc. recently announced it has entered into an five-year agreement with Vega Biofuels Inc. to produce bio-coal, a form of torrefied wood pellets. The initial order of 3,000 tons will be produced and ready to ship in early 2015. READ MORE SHARE
FutureMetrics paper focuses on biomass conversions FutureMetrics LLC recently published a white paper on the conversion of old pulverized coal plants to use advanced solid biofuel rather than coal, noting biomass conversions are a low-cost solution to comply with state renewable portfolio standards. READ MORE SHARE
USDA improves forest health by harvesting biomass for energy Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that more than 200,000 tons of biomass were removed from federal lands through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. This summer, 19 energy facilities in 10 states participated in BCAP. READ MORE SHARE
Great Lakes Ag Technology Business Incubator celebrates opening At a grand opening in early December, Ottawa County, Michigan, announced the official kick-off of the Great Lakes Ag-Tech Business Incubator, a nonprofit helping farmers and entrepreneurs turn their ideas and inventions into successful businesses. READ MORE SHARE
SUNY wins DOE grant to support feedstock logistics research The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded up to $3 million to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry to develop and demonstrate ways to reduce the cost of delivering woody bioenergy feedstocks to biorefineries. READ MORE SHARE