Biomass Week - December 23, 2016

EC approves state aid for third Drax unit conversion On Dec. 19, The European Commission announced it has determined that U.K. support for the conversion of the third generating unit of Drax Power Station from coal to biomass complies with European Union state aid rules. READ MORE SHARE
North Carolina renewable natural gas project breaks ground Colorado-based Carbon Cycle Energy recently broke ground on a $100 million, swine waste-to-renewable natural gas (RNG) project near Warsaw in southeastern North Carolina. The project was first unveiled in March. READ MORE SHARE
	EPA extends comment period on REGS, point of obligation proposals On Dec. 20, the U.S. EPA announced it will extend the public comment periods for its Renewable Enhancement and Growth Support proposed rule and its proposed denial to change the point of obligation under the renewable fuel standard (RFS). READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 1.66 billion RINs generated in November The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for November, reporting that nearly 1.66 billion RINs were generated during the month, including more than 16.54 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
Regional Feedstock Partnership report summarizes 7 years of work The Regional Feedstock Partnership recently published a report summarizing its strides from 2008 to 2014 toward addressing issues associated with the development of a sustainable and projectable supply of feedstocks in the U.S. READ MORE SHARE
UK RHI reform met with mixed feelings for biomass The U.K. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently announced new tariffs for biomass boilers and other renewable heat technologies under the Renewable Heat Incentive in its response to the consultation that closed in April. READ MORE SHARE
Denmark approves 0.9 percent mandate for advanced biofuels On Dec. 15, the Danish Parliament voted to implement a 0.9 percent blending mandate for advanced biofuels in the transportation sector. The mandate is set to become effective in 2020. READ MORE SHARE
MassCEC releases 2016 report on job growth in clean energy sector The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center recently released its 2016 Massachusetts Clean Energy Industry Report, showing steady growth in the clean energy industry with an additional 6,300 employed during the past year, a growth of 6 percent. READ MORE SHARE
Scientists find how a bacterium reduces CO2 in biofuel production A paper co-authored by Lisa Warner, an assistant research professor at Boise State University, looks at how Clostridium thermocellum breaks down and converts cellulosic biomass to produce biofuels while decreasing CO2 released as byproduct. READ MORE SHARE
UMass Amherst researcher aims to improve pine biomass yield University of Massachusetts Amherst plant geneticist Sam Hazen recently received a grant to demonstrate that his new technology can be translated to grow trees that produce more wood than conventional trees. READ MORE SHARE
Wartsila to supply Germany with groundbreaking biohybrid plant Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to supply a biohybrid production plant to the German energy company, Erdgas Südwest GmbH. The new plant will produce both bioLNG (liquefied biogas) and LNG. READ MORE SHARE
Iowa State to manage biorefinery projects for new institute Iowa State University will bring its expertise in biorenewable technologies and pilot plant operations to the country’s 10th Manufacturing USA Institute, which is dedicated to improving the productivity and efficiency of chemical manufacturing. READ MORE SHARE
BE&E equipment supplied to New York bioenergy plant goes online Biomass Engineering and Equipment recently announced that equipment supplied to Lockheed Martin’s Owego, New York, bioenergy plant has gone online. The system transforms wood and other feedstocks into electricity through the process of gasification. READ MORE SHARE
BioAmber, CJCJ plan joint venture in Asia BioAmber Inc. has signed a non-binding letter of intent with South Korean-based CJ CheilJedang Corp. (CJCJ). Under the terms of the agreement, BioAmber and CJCJ plan to establish a joint venture (JV) in China to produce bio-succinic acid. READ MORE SHARE
SEFA funds preparation of Uganda biomass gasification project The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa has approved a $993,000 grant to the Earth Energy Company Ltd. to prepare the first-ever biomass gasification project in Uganda, expected to add 20 MW of baseload power to the national grid. READ MORE SHARE
Anellotech announces breakthrough in extending catalyst lifetime Anellotech recently announced that it has developed proprietary technology to extend catalyst lifetime in its Bio-TCat process for low cost conversion of biomass into valuable aromatic chemicals and renewable fuels. READ MORE SHARE