Biomass Week - May 23, 2018

Drax to pilot Europe’s first carbon capture storage project Drax has announced that it is to pilot the first bioenergy carbon capture storage (BECCS) project of its kind in Europe, which, if successful, could make the renewable electricity produced at its North Yorkshire power station carbon negative. READ MORE SHARE
Fulcrum Bioenergy breaks ground on Sierra Biofuels Plant Fulcrum BioEnergy Inc. announced May 16 the start of site construction for Phase 2 of its first waste-to-fuels project, the Sierra BioFuels Plant, with a groundbreaking event at the plant site in McCarran, Nevada, to celebrate this milestone. READ MORE SHARE
	House votes down 2018 Farm Bill On May 18, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 198 to 213 to defeat the 2018 Farm Bill. One day prior to the vote, members of the House defeated a proposed amendment by a vote of 75 to 340 that would have repealed the Farm Bill’s Energy Title. READ MORE SHARE
Opportunities for wood pellets made of sawdust in the Netherlands The government of the Netherlands has filed a report with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network outlining current market opportunities for wood pellets, primarily those made of sawdust. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 20.78 million cellulosic RINs generated in April The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) data for April, reporting that nearly 1.59 billion RINs were generated during the month, including more than 20.78 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
IRENA: Renewable energy industry employs 10.3 million The International Renewable Energy Agency has announced the renewables industry created more than 500,000 new jobs globally last year, a 5.3 percent increase from 2016. Approximately 10.3 million are now employed by the renewable energy industry. READ MORE SHARE
California executive order on forest fires recognizes bioenergy On May 10, California Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order that aims to protect communities from wildfire and climate impacts. The California Biomass Energy Alliance said it is encouraged that Brown recognizes the importance of biomass energy. READ MORE SHARE
Pennsylvania offers funding for alternative fuels, vehicles The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced it is accepting applications for its Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program, which offers funding for the purchase and use of alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles. READ MORE SHARE
Leandro, California, fuels municipal vehicles with Neste biofuel The City of San Leandro, a suburban city in Alameda County, California, announced May 22 that it has switched all municipal vehicles from using petroleum diesel to only running on Neste MY Renewable Diesel. READ MORE SHARE
Bioenergy, ag groups urge Congress to oppose House Farm Bill The American Biogas Council in conjunction with the Agriculture Energy Coalition and the Biomass Power Association is urging Congress to oppose H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
Sandia researchers tailor E. coli to produce biobased chemicals Sandia National Laboratories scientists have demonstrated a new technology based on bioengineered bacteria that could make it economically feasible to produce a variety of products from renewable plant sources. READ MORE SHARE
US Forest Service awards Wood Innovation Grants On May 16, USDA Forest Service Interim Chief Vicki Christiansen announced the award of almost $8 million in Wood Innovation Grants to expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets. READ MORE SHARE
Graanul Invest increases efficiency of pellet plants SIA Graanul Invest has concluded an agreement with the Central Finance and Contracting Agency of Latvia and the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia on the realization of the project to increase the efficiency of its pellet plants. READ MORE SHARE
Xebec to supply Sapio Group with biogas upgrading plants Xebec Adsorption Inc. signed an agreement with Sapio Group under which Sapio has entered a minimum purchase order commitment for multiple Xebec biogas upgrading plants. Up to 40 facilities could be built under the agreement over the next five years. READ MORE SHARE
Catawba Biogas to build $15 million facility in North Carolina Anson Economic Development Partnership has announced Catawba Biogas plans to locate a new poultry waste to natural gas conversion plant in Anson County, North Carolina. The project is expected to fully operational next year. READ MORE SHARE