Pellet Mill Press - December 1, 2015

Agreement to address climate change under negotiation in Paris This week, President Obama traveled to Paris to join nearly 200 nations for the COP21 global conference on climate change. Coinciding with the conference, was the announcement that Obama and 19 other world leaders launched "Mission Innovation." READ MORE SHARE
UK announces plans to extend, reform Renewable Heat Incentive On Nov. 25, the U.K. government published its spending review, which includes details of the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s budget for the next four years. The budget includes calls for extension and reform of the Renewable Heat Incentive. READ MORE SHARE
	BBI International announces Global Pellet Market Outlook Summit BBI International has announced the Global Pellet Market Outlook Summit as a pre-conference seminar for the 2016 International Biomass Conference & Expo. The event will take place April 11 in Charlotte, North Carolina. READ MORE SHARE
Energex qualifies as eighth member of PFI standards program The Pellet Fuels Institute has announced Energex has qualified its Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, and Lac-Megantic, Quebec, facilities under the PFI Standards Program. The pellet producer is the eighth company to qualify under the program. READ MORE SHARE
Kingdom BioFuel opens wood pellet mill in Pennsylvania Kingdom BioFuel prepares to open a first-of-its-kind wood pellet mill in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The 12,000-ton-per-year wood pellet mill will provide local residents with an eco-friendly heating product throughout the coming winter. READ MORE SHARE
Rentech restarts Wawa plant, achieves record week at Atikokan Rentech Inc. has released operational updates on its Canadian pellets plants. According to the company, the Wawa, Ontario, plant is back online, while the Atikokan, Ontario, facility recently achieved record weekly production volumes. READ MORE SHARE
Report concludes US pellet exports no threat to southern forests A report commissioned by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, NAFO and USIPA, finds the U.S. export of industrial wood pellets to meet renewable energy goals in the EU is not a threat to the sustainability of southern U.S. forests. READ MORE SHARE
UK Energy Minister speech focuses on new gas, phasing out coal The U.K. government has announced plans to close all coal-fired stations by 2025. Although bioenergy was not specifically mentioned in the government's announcement, Drax notes moving away from coal presents a significant opportunity for biomass. READ MORE SHARE
Drax provides update of biomass operations Drax Group plc released a trading update on Nov. 24, reporting that trading conditions in the markets in which the company operates have remained challenging. Biomass operations, however, are continuing in line with expectations. READ MORE SHARE
ITA announces app to help companies export clean energy solutions The International Trade Administration has announced a beta version of an interactive app to serve as a mobile business directory for U.S. clean energy exporters. Companies interested in participating are encouraged to contact the ITA. READ MORE SHARE
Viridis focuses Q3 results on Scotia, Okanagan plant operations On Nov. 17, Viridis Energy Inc. released financial results for its nine months and third quarter ended Sept. 30, reporting a profitable quarter at Scotia Atlantic Biomass and progress on the Okanagan pellet mill improvement project. READ MORE SHARE
DOE biomass advisory committee schedules November meeting The U.S. Department of Energy has announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled for Nov. 18-19. The event will be held in Emeryville, California. READ MORE SHARE
OPG’s biomass-converted stations positively contribute in Q3 OPG releases third quarter results, reporting increased earnings from its contracted generation portfolio segment due to the new hydroelectric units on the Lower Mattagami River and the conversion to biomass fuel at Atikokan and Thunder Bay. READ MORE SHARE
SD, VA projects receive USDA value-added grant funding Five bioenergy projects in two states were among the 258 businesses nationwide receiving a total of nearly $34 million from the USDA Rural Development Value-Added Producer Grant program. The grants were announced last week. READ MORE SHARE
REA: Top 10 things UK Green CSR would do to support renewables On Nov. 25, the U.K. government will announce the contents of its long-awaited Comprehensive Spending Review. This document effectively sets the budgets of many departments and agencies, including the Department for Energy and Climate Change. READ MORE SHARE
Export of wood pellets more environmentally friendly than coal According to a University of Illinois expert in environmental economics, even after accounting for factors ranging from harvesting to transportation to the U.K., wood pellets still trump coal by a wide margin in carbon emissions savings. READ MORE SHARE