The U.S. Energy Information Administration has filed a notice in the Federal Register requesting a three-year extension of data collection related to its monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, along with certain changes to the collection form.
On June 27, Canadian pellet producer Pinnacle Renewable Holdings Inc. announced that it has entered into two new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contracts with customers in South Korea and Japan.
On June 28, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with a strong bipartisan 86-11 vote. The legislation, titled “The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018,� includes mandatory funding for Energy Title programs.
From Neutral to Negative
By Patrick C. Miller
June 27, 2018
Drax's plan to demonstrate a new carbon capture and storage technology at its power station in the United Kingdom has global implications.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing that U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 650,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in March, with sales reaching 600,000 tons during the month.
On June 18, the U.S. Department of Energy announced $40 million in funding for 31 projects to advance research in the development of microbes as practical platforms for the production of biofuels and other bioproducts from renewable resources.
On June 14, negotiators from the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a deal on a revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII) that sets new targets for renewables.
The Senate ag committee has approved its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with bipartisan support. The legislation includes an amendment offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that restores mandatory funding to Farm Bill Energy Title programs.
A new steam drying technique for wood developed through the EU-funded SteamBio project could significantly reduce transportation costs for biomass, according to the German-based Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology.
Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., has introduced legislation would allow carbon utilization technologies and biogas production to access USDA loan guarantees, research programs and rural development loans.
On June 7, Valmet announced it will supply a biomass-fired 75 MWe CFB boiler and flue gas cleaning system to Air Water & Energia Power Onahama Corp.'s Onahama Plant in Japan. The plant will be primarily fueled by wood pellets and palm kernel shells.
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry released its version of the 2018 Farm Bill on June 8. The bill reauthorizes Energy Title programs, but provides insufficient funding to ensure their success, according to the AgEC.
RDIF, JBIC to develop wood pellet project in Russia
By Russian Direct Investment Fund
June 07, 2018
A coalition that includes the Russian Direct Investment Fund and JBICIG Partners have agreed to consider potential investments in Russia's wood pellet industry. Construction on a 135,000-tom-per-year facility is expected to begin this year.
On June 7, the U.S. EPA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, announcing the agency is soliciting public input on whether and how to change the way it considers costs and benefits in making regulatory decisions.
Drax moves closer to coal-free future with unit four conversion
By Drax Group
June 06, 2018
Drax Power Station June 6 took a step closer to achieving its coal-free ambitions by taking its fourth coal-fired power generating unit offline as part of a planned outage program as it prepares to convert it to run on sustainable biomass.
Walz Scale develops volumetric measurement systems for biomass
By Walz Scale
June 05, 2018
Illinois-based Walz Scale has developed new volumetric measurement systems for the biomass industry. The non-contact laser based measurement systems provide high accuracy volume measurement for trucks and conveyor belts.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently released data showing that U.S. manufacturers produced approximately 570,000 tons of densified biomass fuel in February, with sales reaching 640,000 tons during the month.
On June 4, a group of eight members of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry sent a letter to committee chair Sen. Pat Roberts and ranking member Sen. Debbie Stabenow expressing support for the Farm Bill energy title programs.
Pinnacle Renewable Holdings Inc. has entered into a new long-term, take-or-pay off-take contract with Japan-based Hanwa Co. Ltd. Under the contract, Pinnacle will supply Hanwa with 75,000 metric tons of wood pellet annually, beginning in 2022.
UK government CCS team visits Drax Power Station
By Drax Group
May 29, 2018
A group of senior policymakers and government officials has visited Drax Power Station, near Selby in North Yorkshire, to learn more about the U.K.'s largest power station and its plans to pilot new carbon capture technology.
Busy Time for ISO TC 238
By Chris Wiberg
May 24, 2018
While the efforts of ISO TC 238 are ongoing, they are greatly accelerated each year during the annual plenary and working group meetings, which are being held in Espoo, Finland, May 28 to June 1.
Mathematics of Demand
May 24, 2018
The most obvious challenge the pellet industry will confront as we work to turn demand around is our lack of touchpoints with consumers when they are making home and space heating decisions.
Biomass' carbon neutrality and forest sustainability have been two topics of heated debate, especially over the past decade, as the global wood pellet industry has flourished.
The Ideological Divide
By Ron Kotrba
May 23, 2018
Understanding the positions of those opposed to the wood pellet industry is critical to overcoming and reconciling differences.
Wood Pellets in the Emerging Asian Biomass Market
By Racheal Levinson
May 23, 2018
There is no doubt that Asia's demand for biomass is growing rapidly, but a big unknown is how much of a role wood pellets will play in meeting the emerging demand, and where will those pellets come from.
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.
Drax to pilot Europe's first carbon capture storage project
By Drax Group
May 21, 2018
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.
Graanul Invest increases efficiency of pellet plants
By SIA Graanul Invest
May 18, 2018
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.
US Forest Service awards Wood Innovation Grants
By U.S. Forest Service
May 18, 2018
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.
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.
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