Biomass Week - February 27, 2018

Drax increases pellet capacity, plans fourth unit conversion On Feb. 27, Drax Group plc released 2017 financial results, reporting improved earnings from biomass generation and Opus Energy. During an investor presentation, the company provided insight into its future bioenergy plans. READ MORE SHARE
No deal reached at White House RFS meeting No deal on Renewable Fuel Standard reform was reached during a Feb. 27 meeting at the White House. President Trump has requested to meet with representatives of the biofuel and oil industries on March 1 to continue the conversation. READ MORE SHARE
	Lignetics acquires New England Wood Pellet On Feb. 27, Lignetics Inc. announced it has acquired New England Wood Pellet LLC, which includes manufacturing plants in Jaffrey, New Hampshire; Schuyler, New York; Deposit, New York; and Youngsville, Pennsylvania. READ MORE SHARE
Brazil: Landfill gas-based fuels eligible for RenovaBio program On Feb. 21, Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy published a notice announcing that landfill gas-based fuels will be eligible to comply with the requirements of RenovaBio, the country’s new national biofuels policy that was established in December. READ MORE SHARE
Senate confirms Northey for USDA post On Feb. 27, nearly six months after he was first nominated, the U.S. Senate confirmed Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey to serve as Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service at USDA. READ MORE SHARE
Covanta restarts Fairfax plant, discusses future plans Covanta Holding Corp. has released 2017 financial results, reporting its 80 MW energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in Fairfax, Virginia, restarted operations in late December. The company also reported its Dublin EfW facility is operating well. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: More than 1 million cellulosic RINs generated in January The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for January, reporting that approximately 1.52 billion RINs were generated during the month, including more than 1 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
Astec provides update on wood pellet plant business Astec Industries recently released fourth quarter 2017 financial results, providing an update of ongoing pellet plant activities in Georgia and Arkansas and discussing the company’s future plans as an equipment supplier to the pellet industry. READ MORE SHARE
Enviva enters contract to supply wood pellets to Japanese plant Enviva Partners LP has released fourth quarter financial results and announced it has entered into a firm 10-year take-or-pay offtake contract with Marubeni Corp. to supply 100,000 metric tons per year of wood pellets to a new power plant in Japan. READ MORE SHARE
Farm groups urge Trump to maintain the integrity of the RFS Representatives of the U.S. farming community are speaking out ahead of a Feb. 27 White House meeting on the Renewable Fuel Standard, urging President Donald Trump to avoid seeking change that would weaken the nation’s biofuel policy. READ MORE SHARE
DOE grants $10.6 million to produce more biodiesel, biojet fuel The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6 million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in America into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel. READ MORE SHARE
NASF launches first-of-its kind resource: TimberAssurance.Org The NASF has created an open-access clearinghouse for national and state regulations that affect the management of U.S. forests and help to demonstrate the sustainable and legal nature in which U.S. timber is harvested. READ MORE SHARE
Protein studies inform biofuels research Research at the University of Wisconsin – Madison is paving the way for the optimization of biofuel production processes by providing insights into reaction pathways and developing methods for predicting their properties. READ MORE SHARE
GLBRC expands mission Building on the success of 10 years researching biofuels, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center recently embarked on a new mission: to develop sustainable alternatives to transportation fuels and products currently derived from petroleum. READ MORE SHARE
Energy33 develops biomass power project in Argentina Energy33, a U.S.-based energy project developer, recently developed and structured a 19 MW biomass power project in Argentina for Genneia, the largest renewable generation company in Argentina. The facility will burn vinasse and bagasse. READ MORE SHARE
Xebec, SAPIO to develop RNG infrastructure in Italy Xebec Adsorption Inc. has entered into a letter of intent to establish a three year partnership with SAPIO to help develop Italy’s renewable natural gas (RNG) upgrading infrastructure from biogas facilities. READ MORE SHARE
Fungal enzymes could hold secret to making biofuels from wood An international team of researchers, including scientists from the University of York, has discovered a set of enzymes found in fungi that are capable of breaking down one of the main components of wood. READ MORE SHARE